


Alternative Freedom Fighters: Season Two.

by usuario99



Series: Alternative Freedom Fighters. [3]
Category: Freedom Planet (Video Game), Sonic the Comic, Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comic), Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW Comics), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types, Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Anal Fisting, Artificial Intelligence, Black Arms, Cameos, Chaos Emeralds, Cultural Differences, Cultural References, Dark Magic, Divorce, F/F, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Suicide, LGBTQ Character, Light BDSM, Lovers to Friends, M/M, Magic and Science, Master Emerald, Missing in Action, Mobians (Sonic the Hedgehog), Murder-Suicide, Pegging, Politics, Post-Break Up, Post-War, Rare Characters, Rare Pairings, Rare Relationships, Redemption, Resurrection, Spies & Secret Agents, Team Dark (Sonic the Hedgehog), Team as Family, True Love, World Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-04-19 08:19:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 76,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14233149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/usuario99/pseuds/usuario99
Summary: New menaces emerge, old menaces return, the unity of the KFFs (Knothole Freedom Fighters) is endangered again...And the AFFs (Alternative Freedom Fighters) will have to split up to deal with all this before everything is lost. I invite you, Dear Reader, to accompany the AFFs while they carry out their missions: illegitimate kings, mad scientists who seek to purge their own world, a dangerous armada that finally makes itself known, super powerful magicians who manipulate the will of the people, police cases and political intrigues, an ambitious project to achieve the redemption of the Dark Legion, the personal problems of the AFFs themselves, and more, much more in "Alternative Freedom Fighters: Season Two."Rated as "Mature", just in case, again.





	1. Chapter 1: A final attack...

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Combatientes por la Libertad Alternativos: Temporada 2.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14215434) by [usuario99](https://archiveofourown.org/users/usuario99/pseuds/usuario99). 



On the planet Moebius, all the peoples that inhabit it are dominated by a same nation that has expanded its territory all over the world: the Empire of Acorn, later renamed the "Moebian Planetary Empire". The Empire, with its capital in Moebotropolis, was being ruled by a line of moebian chipmunks, counterparts of the Royal House of Acorn that reigned in the mobian nation of the same name.

However, the old King Maxx of Moebius had been killed and his throne had been usurped by Scourge Hedgehog, the infamous counterpart of the Mobian hero Sonic Hedgehog. Alicia, daughter of Maxx and inheriting princess, summoned the MSS (Moebotropolis Suppression Squad) to take her rightful place on the throne, but Scourge repelled the MSS with very little effort; the rebels, defeated, had to exile quickly, hiding until the opportunity arose to throw Scourge out of the throne...

* * *

It's midday in Moebotropolis. Since Moebius is a mirror of Mobius in many aspects, it's currently summer in that place on the planet, and this is clearly seen by the strength with which the sun shines and the way it warms the environment.

[ **Soundtrack:**   _New plot_  –  **Metal Slug 3D OST** ]

Near the city's borders, among the buildings devastated by the war, hordes of mercenaries are firing their weapons in the direction of the barren lands of the city's outskirts. These soldiers, coming from all the planets of all parallel universes that exist and might exist (although most of them have bodies and sizes similar to those of the humans), have the most powerful weapons that can be found, and they also use the strategies typical of the jobs they're engaged in: advancing and attacking in groups, snipers with effective camouflages, etc.

But they're not rivals for the group of heroes that advances towards them.

A male mobian hedgehog, with blue fur, runs at supersonic speed and runs over anyone who crosses his path; he also carries a shield that he uses as a frisbee, which he throws to hit someone at a great distance. When he runs towards an enemy soldier and throws the shield to him while he runs, the shield with added speed hits the unfortunate mercenary and makes him cross a wall.

"Don't come back!"

 _"Sonic, can you stop imitating Captain America?"_  A woman talks to the hedgehog, Sonic, through a communicator.

That same woman is riding a motorcycle through the ruined city's streets, zigzagging to dodge the shots, and she casually passes by Sonic quickly: this is a female mobian chipmunk, with brown hair, red hair and light-blue eyes, dressed in a blue jacket and matching boots, and armed with tranquilizer dart guns and Taser weapons.

At the same time, someone almost identical to her is riding another motorcycle and stands next to her: this chipmunk is moebian, her hair is longer and is combed in a punk style, she wears a dark gray-blue military uniform whose front is white, black gloves, pants the same shade of blue as the uniform, a black belt, black military boots, a whip attached to her belt's right side, and a hunting dagger stored in her left boot.

"Let's see if you're as brave as some say,  **warrior princess**  Sally!" The punk chipmunk, MSS' leader, shouts at her. Next, she uses her whip to catch a mercenary, and as she races at full speed with her motorcycle, she uses the whip to throw the soldier into the air, who screams in horror as he flies.

In response, Princess Sally Acorn, the mobian chipmunk who leads the KFFs (Knothole Freedom Fighters), activates bombs and hooks them to her motorcycle, and then she accelerates and advances towards an apparently unassailable bunker. When someone pulls a portable rocket launcher similar to a RPG-7 through the bunker's window and is about to shoot at her motorcycle, Sally jumps forward from the seat and she does a somersault but without her hands getting loose from the handlebar; she lands in front of her own motorcycle, and throws it towards the bunker. The motorcycle collides, and when the explosion of the RPG-7's bullet and the explosion of the bombs in the motorcycle are combined...

_**BOOM!** _

Almost the entire bunker is gone.

Sally is standing on the street; the other chipmunk takes a turn with her motorcycle, brakes when she meets with Sally, and gets off the bike. Sally smiles smugly, and the other chipmunk is open-mouthed.

"Did you really think that I wasn't gonna overcome that challenge,  **Princess**  Alicia?"

Suddenly, both Sally and Alicia are surprised when a mech lands in front of them, crushing Alicia's bike.

"What the f***?! That motorcycle cost a lot of money!"

 _"I've got you two!"_  The mech's pilot says, speaking through a loudspeaker and hovering over the squirrels.  _"They'll pay me a lot for having caught you-"_

_"ASIDE!"_

Sally recognizes that voice that shouted at them, the voice of a young woman with a southern accent, and she immediately runs towards one of the sidewalks of the street; foreseeing what's to come, Alicia does the same and goes to the opposite sidewalk. Then a large plasma bullet travels rapidly along the street and hits the mech, destroying it in such a way that only the vehicle's legs remain and are still standing on the ground.

"Thanks, Bunnie! I owe you one!" Sally shouts at the girl who originated the plasma shot: a mobian rabbit, with golden and white fur, with her legs and left arm robotized, turquoise eyes, lilac eyeshadow, and dressed in a brown jacket, a pair of short jeans, a fuchsia leotard below these, and a cowboy hat.

"Look what you did!" An angry Alicia shouts at her while pointing to her motorcycle's remains. "Better someone pay for this!"

Bunnie, a member of the KFFs, walks leisurely towards Alicia. "You can charge Scourge later, if that makes you feel better."

Meanwhile, two male walruses move through the streets: one of them, Rotor, is mobian and a KFF, wears a visored cap and a band, and repels the soldiers fighting hand to hand; the other, Boomer, is moebian and a member of the MSS, has his body full of cybernetic implants, and attacks using repulsor cannons and ultrasonic cannons built into his hands' implants while walking in front of his mobian counterpart.

On the other hand, a male moebian coyote, of the MSS, advances among the ruins while hiding from the enemy forces. He's dressed in a green military uniform with white front and yellow edges, and white breeches that reach to the ankles, but because of the most recent battles, all his clothes are tattered, muddy and bloody; he has blue eyes, light brown fur and blond hair that is combed back and tied in a short ponytail, and he's armed with a saber and a machete, both red-hot by electric current. He hides silently behind a pillar of a mansion, and quickly attacks all nearby soldiers from behind; however, his tactic fails, as he leaves the mansion's ruins and is soon targeted by three mercenaries about to shoot him with RPG-7s.

Suddenly, another coyote, who looks like him but is mobian, appears standing on a floor of a building and fires three arrows with smoke bombs at the soldiers with rocket launchers. While the moebian takes the opportunity to escape, the mobian jumps into the street, runs to the unprotected mercenaries and exterminates them: first, he jumps over one of them and quickly breaks his neck, then he beheads another one by using a modified sword whose edge is a red-hot filament, and finally he cuts deep into the third one's abdomen and drops his viscera by using a combat knife made of the purest and most transparent diamond.

The mobian coyote comes out of the smoke cloud: he's another KFF; his hair is divided in the middle and combed sideways but it's quite careless, and he has allowed his beard to grow a little and produce a kind of "shadow" on part of his face; he wears a purple kevlar waistcoat with red details, matching purple artificial leather trousers, dark red military boots, and purple sunglasses with a red frame; in the right hand he carries his modified saber whose edge is a metallic filament red-hot by electric current, and in the left hand he carries his very sharp combat knife made of pure diamond; he's almost completely drenched in blood, except on his sword's burning edge, and he carries a quiver full of arrows and a bow behind his back.

"N'avons-nous pas convenu que tu prendrais soin de ton dos et que je m'occuperais du mien, Antoine?" ["Didn't we agree that you would take care of your back and that I would take care of mine, Antoine?"] says the coyote who has just been saved, making the archer, Antoine, look at him with contempt.

"Patch, ingrat, tu as de la chance d'avoir été sauvé par moi. Et vous disiez que j'étais un lâche..." ["Patch, you ungrateful, you're lucky that I saved you. And you said I was a coward..."]

"Tu devrais te rappeler comment tu étais il y a quelques mois. Je sais que tu es toujours un fagot au fond de toi-" ["You should remember how you were a few months ago. I know you're still a fag in the depths of you-"]

_**FOOM! FOOM! FOOM!** _

The shots of a missile launcher resonates very close to where the two coyotes are. Patch, the member of the MSS, screams like a girl and runs to hide in the space of a second, but Antoine, with that same speed, turns around and shoots an arrow with an acid bomb, which hits the target: a heavily armored missile launcher that had just turned a corner a block away. The acid makes a big hole in the tank's armor, through which he can see the vehicle's terrified driver (a young man who evidently is a rookie and works as a mercenary just to have something to eat), who immediately escapes; as soon as the driver leaves and gets far enough from the missile launcher, the coyote shoots an explosive arrow into the hole in the vehicle...

_**BOOM!** _

Which explodes along with all the unused ammunition.

Patch comes out of hiding and pretends nothing happened, but Antoine faces him.

"¿Que disiez-vous?" ["What were you saying?"] The KFFs' archer says, smiling.

Patch is surprised but soon regains his composure. "Tu es toujours un lâche: tu n'as pas osé tuer le conducteur." ["You're still a coward: you didn't dare to kill the driver."]

"Suis-je vraiment un lâche? Même après que j'ai tué de sang-froid trois mercenaires dangereux qui étaient sur le point de te transformer en vapeur?" ["Am I really a coward? Even after killing in cold blood three dangerous mercenaries who were about to turn you into steam?"]

In another street near there, a female mobian hedgehog, also of the KFFs, attacks the mercenaries using a huge hammer; her fur is pink like a bubble gum, and she has greenish eyes, a red hairband, a red dress with white edges, and red boots with a white stripe that traverses them lengthwise. For some strange reason, she manages to wield and move her hammer with very little physical effort; when she approaches a bunker, she protects herself from the bullets with it, then hits the ground in front of her, and the shock wave caused by the blow picks up pieces of land along its entire length and it finally destroys the bunker.

An armored tank appears in front of her, after slowly turning a corner.

_PUM!_

The tank shoots, and the she-hedgehog protects herself with her hammer.

_**BOOM!** _

The bullet's blow causes her to be pushed a few meters back...

_PUM! PUM!_

But two other bullets are fired one after the other, just after the first one, the three shots being shot in the space of half a second. Having believed that it was a single shot, she barely manages to put her hammer in position to protect herself from the next two shots...

_**BOOM! BOOM!** _

Which throw her several meters back. Meanwhile, the tank crew loads three more bullets and prepares to shoot at the unprotected mobian again.

Nobody notices a miniature missile that flies into the tank and enters its cannon when it's about to fire.

_**KA-BOOM!** _

The miniature missile's explosion causes all the ammunition in the tank to explode, and the tank ends up in pieces. Then, the she-hedgehog recovers, turns around and meets with another KFF, the one who saved her: a male mobian fox with a striking double tail, dressed in an armor that covers his entire body; the armor is made of an alloy of gold and titanium, allows great mobility without leaving unprotected any part of the body, and is painted red on much of its surface; this armor has several weapons built into it (laser gatling gun mounted on his left shoulder, rail gun mounted on his right shoulder, several miniature missile launchers on his wrists, repulsor cannons on his hands' palms), plus it receives energy from quantum reactors built into the chest and other parts of the body.

The armor begins to retract, opening all its front side and allowing its owner to leave it: the fox is barely twelve years old, has golden fur with some white parts, his eyes are blue, he wears a black jumpsuit with some built-in quantum reactors, and he always smiles.

"Are you okay, Amy?" The fox asks the she-hedgehog.

"I'm fine, Tails, thanks." Helping herself with her hammer, Amy gets up off the ground. "I was only surprised by that tank, that's all. I can keep fighting."

"Okay, if you say so-"

_"Oh, c'mon... That useless one shouldn't even be here!"_

Both look up to the sky and meet with a fox almost exactly like Tails, but with some differences: this fox is moebian and belongs to the MSS, he uses some kind of magic to stay in the air and keep attacking the mercenaries while talking to his mobian counterpart and the she-hedgehog, he always looks serious or angry, and his outfit consists of a red military uniform whose front is very dark gray, black bracelets with metal spikes, a black leather belt, black pants, and red boots; at some point, he had his black hair combed neatly to one side, but now his hair is disheveled, revealing even that it was originally somewhat curly.

"What did you call me, brat?!" Amy yells at him.

"Amy, Miles, leave the stupid discussions for another time." Tails tries to intervene. "Don't forget why we're here."

"I think I found something with my magical powers." says Miles. "Powers that are obviously superior to yours... better said, those of your suit, Tails."

"Get to the point and stop teasing my Advanced Technology Armor, or I'll make fun of you for the rest of my time on this planet,  **Anti-Tails**."

Miles growls in response to the nickname. "There's a mercenary fleet going towards our planet."

"Oh yeah, of course... Bagbar Breeblebrox and his  _Starmada_. I've read the Zone Cops' reports about them: they're from the same universe where Mobius is. I already imagined that they were gonna be hired by Scourge. I'll take care of them, unless..." Tails takes a look at his doppelgänger.

"Are you challenging me, Tails? I thought I heard you say that we should leave the stupid discussions for another time. Or am I wrong?"

"What? Are you afraid of me,  **Anti-Tails**? Are you afraid of being overtaken by someone like me, a nerd who continues to have ridiculous childish behavior, someone who prefers technology and mechanics rather than take advantage of his already incorporated magical powers?"

This time, Miles makes a half smile. "You're looking more and more like me-"

"Not a chance."

As soon as Tails finishes speaking, he returns to get into his ATA suit (Advanced Technology Armor) and goes flying into space, followed by Miles, which generates an Anarchy energy bubble around himself.

* * *

Bagbar Breeblebrox is in his seat as Captain of the  _Senteller_ , the flagship of the mercenary fleet  _Starmada_. Scourge had hired them to perform functions equivalent to those of an air force and a star fleet. Breeblebrox is a robust humanoid with grayish green skin, his face shares certain similarities with a toad and a bulldog, he has long, pointed ears and has some kind of electronic device built into his left eye, similar to the lenses used by jewelers to examine precious stones. The exact origin of him and the  _Starmada_  isn't known, but it's known that they're not from the same universe where Moebius is, but from the universe of Mobius.

The captain turns on a microphone to speak to the crew of all the starships.

"Here, the captain. Prepare for the attack on Moebotropolis. Remember our client's orders: destroy everything-"

"Captain, unidentified spaceships are approaching." A crew member of the  _Senteller_ 's bridge of command interrupts Bagbar.

"It better be something important."

"Actually, it's just one spaceship: it's full of weapons, but it's small in size; it has a humanoid form, although its shape also has similarities to that of a canid; it seems that there are signs of life coming from inside, which suggests that it's not a simple drone, but a manned spaceship or someone carrying a sort of advanced technology armor."

"Weird. Maybe it's someone sent by our client."

"I don't think so, Captain. According to the energy readings, it comes from the same universe that we do, it doesn't belong to our client's universe."

"He mentioned that his planet was going to be attacked by beings from another planet of our own universe. Maybe those invaders have noticed our presence and sent someone to negotiate with us; otherwise, they would have sent a whole fleet or they would have directly withdrawn from Moebius. Now that I remember it, you mentioned two spaceships, and then you said it was a single one."

"It happens that I was reviewing the images: actually they are, on the one hand, a manned ship, and on the other hand, an individual that seems to be traveling exposed to the space void. According to our readings, it's from Moebius, but it has a shape very similar to the possible shape of the armor's wearer; unlike the guy in the armor, the other guy is surrounded by some kind of force field that keeps it protected inside an air bubble..." The soldier checks his screen, and addresses the captain again. "We're receiving a transmission of the guy in the armor. I put it on the main screen."

"Go ahead, do it..." Breeblebrox orders as he lights something similar to a Tuscan cigar and puts it in his mouth.

The large window in front of his seat transforms into a screen, and Tails' face appears on it.

_"I am Miles Prower, Knothole Freedom Fighter, awarded with the Anti-Robotnik Resistance Medal, Commander of the New Legion of Honour of Mercia, Honorary Agent of the Guardian Units of the Nations, awarded with the Bronze Medal for Bravery with two oak leaf clusters made of bronze."_

"But... You're a child!"

_"We know that you were hired by Scourge Hedgehog, a fugitive interdimensional criminal and illegitimate ruler of the Moebian Planetary Empire. So we offer you a very simple deal: withdraw from this planet and don't work in the service of Scourge Hedgehog again, or we will be forced to destroy the entire Starmada."_

"But who do you think you are to threaten me?!" Bagbar cuts the transmission and turns on the microphone again. "To all the units: Get rid of those two guys who are flying here! Have no mercy!"

* * *

Tens of thousands of shuttles are fired from the  _Senteller_  and the  _Starmada_ 's other starships; the shuttles prepare their weapons and go to Tails and Miles, who simply stay floating where they were. Tails' ATA suit's quantum reactors already release green light, indicating that the  _Turbo Control System_  is activated: the suit is using the potential Chaos energy that the mobian fox stores in his body by his condition of Adept to Chaos.

"I managed to hack the  _Senteller_ 's systems, I already have the plans." Tails reports.

"So fast?" Miles answers surprised.

"Don't underrate a nerd's talents."

* * *

A few minutes later, Breeblebrox is watching their starships' shuttles approaching the two foxes. Increasingly, he's anxious to put an end to that child who dared to threaten him.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon..." He says to himself. "Kill him..."

_"I would leave that child alone if I were you."_

Bagbar turns around and the entire crew prepares their weapons, but a sudden flash of light blinds everyone on the bridge.

When Bagbar recovers, he realizes that he and the others are tied with red and black "ropes", apparently made of energy; unlike himself, the rest of the crew on the bridge is passed out. In front of them is Miles, the same fox that was next to Tails in space just a moment ago.

"Alright, Captain Breeblebrox ... It's clear that my  **childish**  counterpart doesn't know how to negotiate, since he hasn't managed to get you outta here. But I have faith that I'll be more convincing with the deal I'm gonna propose to you: leave my planet, or I'll end the spouses and offspring of the  _Starmada_ 's soldiers. Yes, I know that y'all live in these starships together with all your families, as if this fleet were your home."

Bagbar looks to one side and another, checking that his subordinates are not listening, and then he addresses Miles. "Do you really think I'm gonna back down? I'll comply with the request of that 'Scourge', I'll pick up my money and I'll leave."

"Are you sure? Because, if I comply with my threat... which I'm very capable of doing, unlike the fagot that issued that feeble ultimatum... all the members of the Starmada will blame you for your incompetence and indifference when you should have cared about the soldiers' families. And I suppose you don't wanna deal with the thirst for revenge of an entire army."

* * *

A few minutes later, on Moebius' surface...

Tails and Miles land in front of the gates of Moebotropolis Castle, meeting there with their comrades: Tails with his friends in the KFFs, and Miles with his comrades in the MSS. Boomer, Miles, Bunnie and Tails combine their weapons and powers, shoot the huge gates simultaneously and tear them off their hinges, and the eleven of this mixed team make their way through the castle. All the way to the throne room, there's no one resisting.

Upon reaching the throne room, they meet with the illegitimate King of Moebius: a male Moebian hedgehog, with blue eyes, with the Royal Crown of Moebius (a simple ring that surrounds its head, with three things similar to barbs in front, being all made of iron), who was originally blue but is now light green because of an accident with Mobius' Master Emerald, is dressed in a black leather jacket with drawings of flames on the sides, and is wearing black and green sneakers; he has two parallel scars that diagonally cross the entire surface of his chest, and his right hand is devoid of fur and seems to have been the result of a recent regeneration.

Scourge: "Aha! So you finally got here, huh? Well, you'll have to face my fury when I become ...!"

Scourge immediately sits on his throne and, by the effect of the Anarchy Beryls that he hid there previously, he transforms into Super Scourge: now, his fur is purple, his thorns are slightly bent up, his eyes have black sclera and red iris, and his whole body is radiating a reddish glow.

Scourge: "THE COOLEST VARIANT OF SUPER SCOURGE!"

Tails uncovers his face, and when he observes the throne's usurper, he crosses his arms and appears to be bored. When Scourge has already transformed, he begins to laugh madly, but the fox fakes an exaggerated yawn including the typical mime, which infuriates the moebian hedgehog.

Tails: "You don't scare anymore. [totally gets rid of his ATA suit, only wearing his black jumpsuit with small quantum reactors] It's likely that I won't be able to defeat you without my armor, but Sonic will surely agree to help me... [to Sonic] Is not it?"

Scourge: "I don't care! Staying in my Super form, I'll survive the bombardment of the  _Starmada_ , while you'll end up buried!"

Tails: "I doubt it very much: the bombardment has just been canceled. I can prove it to you if you don't believe me. I assure you I ain't bluffing in any way."

Taken by surprise, Super Scourge growls, activates a Warp Ring and escapes. Sonic runs to him and gets to keep the portal open, but when everyone pass through the Warp Ring to chase the throne's usurper...

_**BOOM!** _

All of them are thrown back by a wave of Anarchy energy.

Tails: "Ouch..."

Antoine: "Did anyone get to see the license plate of that thing?"

Bunnie: "Surely the license plate was something like '5C0UR6E'. [everyone else looks at her] It was a bad joke, wasn't it?"

Sonic recovers from what happened, gets up from the ground, looks around and recognizes the place: a temple on the "Demon Island". It's the moebian equivalent of Angel Island, with the difference that this island isn't floating at tens of kilometers of height, but is sunk in the ocean, with a dome-shaped shield that keeps the island inside an air bubble.

Then, Sonic sees Scourge standing on top of a gigantic, irregularly shaped gem that emits magenta light while he's carrying out a new and more powerful Super transformation. Near him, Sonic sees O'Nux, a moebian equidna with thin mustaches and a black tam-o'-shanter: he was in charge of protecting the huge precious stone of that temple, but now he's lying on the ground.

Sonic: "Don't fuck with me... Will he use the Master Emerald of this world to transform and kick our asses?"

O'Nux: [in a weak voice and with an accent similar to the Irish, as he sits on the floor] "It's the Supreme Beryl, to be precise. The good thing is that Scourge will spend very quickly the energy he gets, and considering his way of fighting, his energy will be over in about five minutes; later, he will probably die or fall into a coma. The bad thing is that, during those five minutes, he will be unstoppable."

Sonic: [to Tails] "It would be great if you helped me kick the ass of this moron."

Tails: "You can count on me."

Sonic: [to the other KFFs and the MSS' members] "All of you: get outta here through the Warp Ring. You wouldn't survive this."

Sally: "Okay. [to Alicia] You'd better do the same with your team."

Alicia: "I agree. [to the MSS' members] Withdraw!"

Everyone leaves through the Warp Ring, but Miles stays in the temple.

Tails: "Miles, you have to leave. Seriously, this is gonna get ugly."

Miles: "I like the things that get ugly, they're my specialty. And what about you?"

In response to the moebian fox, his counterpart gets into his ATA suit while his face remains uncovered, and then he activates his  _Turbo Control System_.

Tails: [raising an eyebrow, looking sideways at Miles] "Do you wanna bet?"

Meanwhile, the moebian hedgehog ends his transformation, becoming Hyper Scourge: now he's taller and more muscular, has black fur, and his body is releasing an aura also black.

Hyper Scourge: "Alright, people ... Let the show begin!"

Hyper Scourge throws a barrage of Anarchy spears at his mobian counterpart and the two foxes; Tails quickly covers his face and generates a shield of Chaos energy around himself and Sonic, while Miles creates a shield of Anarchy energy to protect himself as well. When the spears of the berserk super-powerful hedgehog are repelled, he tries to attack them directly: he throws himself on Sonic and Tails, penetrates the shield and breaks it; Tails flies towards Hyper Scourge and starts to beat him without stopping, also using his tails to make deep cuts, but the hedgehog doesn't tire, heals his wounds and reacts by giving a single but very strong punch to the fox, who hits a thick stone wall and crosses it; Sonic uses his super-speed to hit him much faster, which seems to take effect this time...

Hyper Scourge:  **" ANARCHY... BLAST!"**

_**BOOM!** _

But a blast of Anarchy energy throws Sonic through the hole in the wall and makes him lie on the ground, next to Tails.

Sonic: [in a weak voice, as he slowly gets up from the ground] "This is the second time that I'm thrown through a wall."

Tails: [in a firm voice, as he quickly gets up from the ground] "Same here."

Then the child prodigy activates his feet's soles' propeller and he flies at full speed towards Hyper Scourge while the moebian hedgehog prepares to fire a beam of Anarchy energy.

Tails: [thinking] ("I must be crazy...")

When Tails is close enough and his opponent is about to shoot, the fox takes off the ATA suit and moves on. Hyper Scourge cancels the attack and diverts his attention to Tails, but the ATA suit crashes into him and starts flying around the temple while taking the surprised hedgehog with it.

Finally, the suit self-destructs along with the quantum reactors, residual Chaos energy and the ammunition of all its weapons, and the immense explosion's force destroys the temple and also shakes the entire island and the water around it. Anyway, Hyper Scourge is still alive and he's getting more and more angry, but he looks at the still intact Supreme Beryl, and then he sees Tails performing the same Super transformation that he had done before.

When Tails ends his transformation, he falls from the top of the Supreme Beryl and collapses on the ground, where he stays crouched; but then the mobian fox looks at Scourge and makes his maniacal smile, almost transformed into a trademark of him. This Super transformation, made by the Supreme Beryl, has turned the child prodigy into an unstable version of Hyper Tails, whose body now stores a mixture of Chaos energy and Anarchy energy: some parts of his pelage are of a bright gold-yellow color, but others are of a deep shade of blue, and the parts of both colors change constantly; one of his eyes looks normal, although with a slight shine in its pupil, but the other eye has black sclera and dark blue iris; his naked body is smoking, and he himself seems to be "bubbling" under his skin; four flickies, made of pure Chaos energy, are fluttering around him, but only two of them are still yellow and are similar to canaries, while the other two are now black and look more like ravens. Hyper Scourge doesn't know how to feel when he sees this.

Hyper Scourge: [arches an eyebrow] "Wow... This is getting more and more interesting."

Hyper Tails makes a spindash and quickly attacks Hyper Scourge, and his two tails make deep cuts to the hedgehog throughout his body; these cuts, which reach the bone in some cases, can't be cured as easily and quickly as the previous ones. Immediately after the spindash, Hyper Tails starts to hit Hyper Scourge on the temple and spine, seeking to cause serious injuries to his brain and spinal cord. His blows are successful, and the hedgehog is practically out of combat for a few seconds while his injuries are repaired; however, after recovering...

_**BOOM!** _

The hedgehog suddenly makes an Anarchy blast with all the energy he's capable of using. Hyper Tails manages to create a sort of Chaos/Anarchy double shield, which repels the energy wave released by his rival and then vanishes; meanwhile, Hyper Scourge is even more weakened after such an attack.

Hyper Tails: [walking slowly towards Hyper Scourge] "I seem to remember I had given you a warning when I rescued Fiona and defeated you for the first time."

Hyper Scourge had fallen to the ground and was beginning to get up when he heard the fox say that. When the hedgehog starts to remember that event and becomes aware of his own current situation, his face slowly begins to fill with concern.

Hyper Tails: "This will be disgusting..."

The criminal, apparently fallen from grace, remains on the ground and standing on four legs; his rival stands behind him and closes his hand in a fist as he carefully observes the butt of the hedgehog.

Hyper Tails: "But you'll surely feel much worse than me. Anyway... What can I say? Enjoy it. After all, it's the least you deserve for all the damage you did."

A second later, loud and prolonged cries of pain from the illegitimate King of Moebius resound throughout the Demon Island.

Soon after, the screams stop; keeping his face expressionless, Hyper Tails watches his arm, bloodied to the elbow, and then he prepares to end Scourge's life once and for all. However, his body becomes more and more unstable, he looks at himself helplessly as the "bubbling" under his skin gets stronger and stronger...

Hyper Tails: "Oh oh."

_**KA-BOOM!** _

And Tails finally expels all the Chaos and Anarchy energy from his body in the form of a powerful Chaos/Anarchy blast.

Now, Tails lies at the bottom of a large crater: he's back in his normal state, but he has third-degree burns all over his body and on his face, there are pieces of meat that are no longer there and that leave the bones exposed, and he's having difficulty breathing, while his body tries to regenerate with the little potential Chaos energy that still remains for him.

Meanwhile, Hyper Scourge, very sore and especially ashamed but with his energies already restored, stands up with difficulty and observes Tails while trying to contain a laugh.

Hyper Scourge: "You were strong, and quite bold... but not enough! Hahahahahaha! And now who will come to get you off the ground?! Huh?! You and the other Freedom Assholes presume much of their friendship! Where are those buddies now?! HAHAHAHAHA-  **AAAAARRRGGH!** "

Scourge screams in pain once again when he's impaled by a sword made of pure Anarchy energy, this sword being wielded by Miles: while Hyper Tails was fighting with Hyper Scourge, the moebian fox has also used the Supreme Beryl to become his Super form,  _Master Miles_ , and this magnified his magical powers already learned and trained; unlike Tails, Miles is moebian and an Adept to Anarchy, and his body has no Chaos energy and isn't unstable when he's in his Master Miles form.

Scourge returns to his normal form when Master Miles removes the sword. Then, the moebian fox grabs him by his leather jacket, and then he takes off and lifts the hedgehog as if he were a rag doll.

Master Miles: [his eyes turn red] "Look into my eyes..."

Despite the order, an unusually scared Scourge keeps his eyes closed and pointing elsewhere.

Master Miles:  **"I said, look into my eyes."**

Using his telekinesis, the sorcerer fox forces Scourge to open his eyes and look directly at his own. As soon as Scourge does it, Master Miles' eyes emit an even brighter red light, as if there were fire in them, and the hedgehog ends up in a catatonic state.

Next, Master Miles lands together with Scourge, and the fox quickly returns to his normal form voluntarily and runs to Tails. Visibly concerned about his mobian counterpart, the Adept to Anarchy kneels at his side.

"Tails... Tails, answer... Tails!" He gives him a strong slap. "Tails, stop playing dumb, goddammit!"

"..."

"Tails... wake up..." A tear leaves Miles's eye without him noticing. "Please...  **brother**..."

The sorcerer rests his head on the body of his counterpart; then, the latter raises his right arm with great effort, and he begins to silently caress Miles' head. Of course, Miles reacts, crying with joy as if it were a reflex act.

"TAILS! You're alive!"

Miles realizes what he did, and he regains his composure trying to look grumpy again.

"Uh... I'll call a doctor-"

"I discovered you..." Tails says in a weak voice.

"Huh? What? What are you talking about?" Miles asks acting as if he's distracted.

"You've just revealed your fond side..."

"WHAT?! Of course not! You must have confused me with another-"

"It's okay, Miles... I'm willing to not tell anyone about it..."

Given what was said by the Adept to Chaos, his moebian dopplegänger starts to doubt. "O- Ok..."

"But I need you to do something for me too..."

"Be very careful with what you're gonna ask for. If you ask me to do something humiliating, I'll leave you lying here."

"No, not at all. Swear that you'll not tell no-one that... that I tortured Scourge by fisting him..."

Miles starts laughing sincerely. "Don't worry,  **brother**. He deserved it. Besides, I'm proud of you."

**"NO."**

Tails suddenly gets up to sit on the ground, despite still having his body in such bad condition. "Nothing of 'you're looking more and more like me', nothing of 'I'm proud of you', nothing of comparing us with each other, nothing of- Ouch!" Acute pains all over his body force him to lie down again.

"I better stay in the crater."


	2. Chapter 2: And the rise of a new menace.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the battle against Scourge, both the Freedom Fighters and the Suppression Squad resolve some pending issues. But they're about to take a big surprise.

The next day...

It's 3:00 PM in Moebotropolis, and the winners of the battle are gathered in the throne room of the city's castle. Some of thier allies are there with them: on the one hand, an overlander of Moebius, aka  _anti-overlander_ , who's dressed like Doctor Eggman and has the same mustache but has a benevolent appearance and an organic body in a very good physical condition; on the other hand, a moebian rabbit girl similar to Bunnie, but who has a totally organic body, pilots a mech very similar to the walking arsenal E-123 Omega, and is dressed and made up in the  _dark_  style.

The overlander of Moebius is Doctor Ivo Kintobor, benign counterpart of Ivo Robotnik. Unlike the mad scientist, he studied medicine and established his own hospital, he used to take care of the victims of Scourge and the Suppression Squad, and now he also works as a gardener when he isn't working in his hospital. The moebian rabbit girl is Scarlett O'Hare, aka Buns Rabbot, dopplegänger of Bunnie Rabbot. She suffered from NIDS (Neuronal Immune Deficiency Syndrome), but when Ivo Kintobor found her, he provided her with that mech, the  _Omega Care Unit_ , so she can keep the NIDS under control.

Among those present are also Zonic and several other officers of the Zone Cops Corps, sent to take Scourge and put him in prison.

Elsewhere in the throne room, the aforementioned moebian hedgehog is locked in a magical cage that Master Miles created by using Anarchy energy; within that cell, the already overthrown illegitimate King is still catatonic.

As for Tails, he had been rushed to Ivo Kintobor's hospital after his hard battle with Scourge: the wounds were very serious, including his right eye completely destroyed, his left ear also damaged, his right hand and left foot lost, lots of skin and several pieces of muscle also lost, some bones broken, and his liver cut in half. The doctor managed to make several parts of the mobian's body regenerate, but an eye is an organ with a very complex structure, it's still very difficult to reconstruct it well, and a prosthesis made in Moebius could be rejected by the body of the self-denying nerd; so, Kintobor was forced to empty his right eye and put a patch on it. Now, Tails' plan is to go back to Mobius, travel to Station Square and recover his lost eye using a newly developed method that allows to create organic prostheses of any lost organ/tissue.

And speaking of the young one-eyed fox, Tails is standing near the green hedgehog's cage. In addition to the patch where his right eye was before, he has a scar that crosses his left eye vertically, and his skin lacks fur on the body parts that had to be regenerated, such as the right hand, the left foot and the left ear. He's dressed in a version of his father's Special Forces uniform: a military cap with a raised front, a jacket, fingerless gloves, tight trousers and military boots, all garments made of black leather.

The mobian two-tailed fox is observing the obscene graffitis drawn on the walls of the Castle, more precisely, a graffiti on a female vulva. Then, the child prodigy addresses Scourge, despite the state of the latter.

Tails: [with his back to Scourge, while watching the graffiti, starts to talk like Robert Downey Jr in the  _Sherlock Holmes_  films] "You know... I think you really did this graffiti well... Better said, you hired people who did it very well: it's very detailed, anyone would be able to clearly distinguish the clitoris, the labia majora, the labia minora, and even the ducts of the urethra and the Bartholin's glands-"

Miles: [speaks to Tails under his breath, standing beside him] "Tails..."

Tails: [somewhat distracted] "Huh?"

The mobian fox looks behind him and sees his teammates, who look quite uncomfortable.

Tails: "Oh, yeah... Sorry. Thanks for warning, Miles."

Miles: [trying to ignore Tails' thanks] "Yeah, whatever..."

The oddly uninhibited child prodigy takes his gaze to the other graffiti, which represents a penis. After observing it for a few seconds, he talks again to Scourge, who's still as catatonic as before.

Tails: "However, Scourge, you ruined it with this graffiti: it's vulgar, it's too simple, it was drawn without respecting the natural proportions... In short, it's the typical 'drawing of penis' that can be found on the bathrooms' cubicles' walls and the high schools' classrooms' tables."

Miles: [a little more nervous than before] "Tails..."

Sally: [recovering from what she has just witnessed, she addresses Alicia] "Anyway... I hope that you,  **Imperial Princess of Moebius** , comply with what was agreed upon. You'll stop the crime wave in your territory, you'll collaborate with Doctor Kintobor's work, and you won't let anyone leave this universe unless it's considered necessary; in return, we won't enter your universe unless it's considered necessary. You can only travel from one universe to another if the FFI, the Freedom Fighter International, agrees with the MSS that this is absolutely necessary; and last but not least, these trips will be carried out under the joint supervision of representatives of both the MSS and the FFI."

The Freedom Fighter International is the organization that brings together all the authorized groups of the Resistance around the planet Mobius. It arose when Robotnik reappeared in the form of Doctor Eggman, so that the entire Resistance is able to coordinate its strategies against the resurgent Empire; the FFI is also in charge of authorizing new Resistance groups and excommunicating those groups that are no longer considered worthy of being called "Freedom Fighters" (as it happened a month ago with the Sandblast City group, led by Jack Rabbit), and carries out a register of all the agents, who identify themselves with a badge granted by the FFI in a ceremony.

Its "full members" are the mobian Resistance groups known as "Freedom Fighters", including also the Team Chaotix and GUN's Team Dark, but the FFI also has the participation of other organizations as "associate members": leaders of the Armed Forces of different countries (the GUN itself, the Acorn and Mercian Armed Forces, etc.), national intelligence services (intelligence agencies of GUN, Acorn's Royal Secret Service, Secret Service of Military Intelligence for Foreign Security of Mercia, among others), national governments (Presidency of the United Federation, National Council of Acorn, Mercia's Monarchs and the Parliament's leaders, the Great Chief and the Council of Elders of the Wolf Pack Nation, etc.), and other organizations, such as the echidnas of the Brotherhood of Guardians.

When the FFI's General Assembly holds meetings, each member (either full or associate) appoints a representative to participate in those meetings; full members have a voice and can also vote when decisions are made; associate members don't have the right to vote, but they can still participate in meetings and provide information and opinions. There's a President, Vice Presidents and a General Secretary, and the possibility of creating a Treasurer position is also being considered; all of them are appointed in the General Assembly's meetings, and they remain in their position until said Assembly decides to replace them in one of their meetings (generally, new leaders are appointed every approximately one month).

The FFI is a young organization that doesn't make many decisions, especially because the different teams of Freedom Fighters are used to operate being totally independent of each other; however, the FFI proves useful in dealing with issues that concern the entire Resistance and the entire planet. And the Resistance's relationship with a parallel universe and with the ERM is precisely something that deserves its intervention.

Alicia: "Don't worry,  **warrior princess**. I'm willing to comply with the agreement. By the way, I'm now  **Empress of Moebius**."

Tails: [approaches others, being accompanied by Miles] "And are you planning to marry someone,  **Empress Alicia of Moebius**?"

Alicia: "I have a candidate in mind."

Sonic: "Let me guess: Patch."

Alicia: "No, it has already become clear that he's a coward."

Antoine: [whispers to Patch] "You're lucky not to become Alicia's husband. Sally, her counterpart in  _mon_  world, is unbearable."

Both coyotes start to laugh softly. Without them knowing it, they all heard everything.

Sally: [pretending to be angry and resting her hands on her hips, but holding back a laugh] "Antoine..."

Despite Sally's "warning", Antoine doesn't care about it.

Tails: [sarcastic] "And who will be the 'lucky' one?"

In response, Alicia hugs Miles and gives him a kiss, which he returns. Seeing this, everyone is surprised and Tails even starts to have nausea (or so it seems), although he soon recovers. Sally notices Tails' reaction, and bites her lower lip as she looks at the sky.

Miles: [after breaking the kiss] "I dunno why you're surprised: Fiona is the same age as Sally and Alicia, and Tails is the same age as me; however, Fiona and Tails are a couple and they have a very active sex life, based on what I heard."

When hearing Miles' sayings, Tails begins to feel visibly uncomfortable, and the other KFFs keep silent and slowly recoil a few steps. Miles, Alicia and the rest of the MSS are surprised by this.

Miles: "What? Did I say something bad? Did they two have-?"

Tails: [interrupting Miles, he hurriedly walks towards Zonic] "Officer Zonic, could we know what you plan to do with Scourge?"

Zonic: "I'm surprised you don't know, Tails: we'll take Scourge to the Prison Zone."

Tails: [somewhat upset] "The same penitentiary from which he escaped so easily a little over six months ago."

Zonic: [a little nervous] "Well, this time he won't escape-"

Tails: [a little more upset, demanding] "How did he escape the last time?"

Zonic: [tries to evade the question] "We're not sure-"

Tails: [raising his voice a little] "You're not sure?"

Zonic: "Huh..."

Tails: [visibly angry] "Answer me! How did Scourge escape?!"

While Tails and Zonic "debate", Sonic, Sally, Amy and Antoine are chatting in a very low voice.

Sonic: "With those clothes, all those body parts without fur, that scar on one eye and that patch on the other, Tails is really scary."

Sally: "He's angry, so he'd be scary without all that."

Amy: "He's looking like a pirate."

Antoine: " _Non_ , now he would look more like his father. It really has military bearing."

Bunnie: [to Tails, intervening in his discussion with Zonic] "It's enough-"

Tails: [turns to Bunnie] "NO! It's not! [to Zonic] I'll repeat the f***ing question! How did Scourge escape?!"

Zonic: [desperate] "We dunno! The cell was totally closed and secured, but when we went to see, he was no longer there!"

The mobian fox narrows his eyes and remains silent, staring into Zonic's eyes and closing his hands in fists.

Tails: [enraged, in a low voice] "Officer Zonic, you could have told us as soon as that son of a b**** escaped, you could have asked us for help in investigating how he escaped... but you kept your mouth shut. I did well not to accept your job offer a year ago; now, I'll make sure that the FFI knows that you and your rabble are really assholes and you all shame us. [pauses, then turns to Miles but staying with his back to him] "MILES!"

Miles: [somewhat surprised] "What do you want, Tails?"

Tails: [turns to Miles] "Do you think you can keep Scourge prisoner on this planet?"

Miles "Well-"

Tails: [suddenly approaches him, interrupting him and screaming in his face] "Can you keep him locked up here?! Yes or no?!"

Alicia's fiancé remains calm, watching his counterpart.

Miles: [smiles widely] "I was going to say yes, of course I can keep Scourge prisoner on my planet. In fact, I'll enjoy it a lot, especially when I see him sharing his cell with Rosy Rascal. By the way... [starts to laugh softly] I think I already told you this, but you're looking more and more like me."

The KFFs' fox, ablaze with anger, makes a growl and leaves the castle's throne room walking quickly while insulting under his breath. Meanwhile, his dopplegänger approaches the other KFFs to take advantage of Tails' absence and speak freely.

Miles: "Seriously, tell me: What's wrong with him? It's great that he's more vehement, I feel sincerely proud of him, but this is no longer normal."

Sonic: "Well..."

The blue hedgehog looks at his teammates, as if seeking their approval, and then he turns to Miles.

Sonic: "Tails and Fiona broke up a week ago. As you can imagine, that affected him a lot."

For once, Miles feels really sorry for someone.

* * *

Tails is in the castle's highest tower, with his hands resting on the balcony's balustrade, observing the horizon, feeling in his face the warm wind that blowing that summer. A tear slips down his left cheek, and he dries it quickly.

_"Tails..."_

He hears a voice very similar to his. He knows it's Miles, but now Miles' tone of voice is very similar to that of Tails himself; in fact, for a moment, he thought he was talking to himself without realizing it.

Meanwhile, Miles stands to his left.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course. Why would not I be?"

Both remain silent.

"I'm sorry about Fiona and you."

"I guess Sonic already told you. I forgot that he ain't exactly an expert in keeping secrets-"

"C'mon, Tails... Stop playing the badass, we're all worried about you-"

"Are you even worried about me?"

"Especially I am worried about you." Immediately after, Miles looks sorry to say that.

Both return to remain silent, until Tails speaks again.

"Please, don't start with the myths about women's behavior. Fiona and I were very close, but... there were problems, problems that neither of us could avoid: conflicts with the other members of the team, wars, situations that have put everyone's lives in serious danger... I had never realized how weak our relationship really was..."

"If you think a relationship like thar is 'weak', in which category would the courtships of all the others be included?"

Tails manages to retain the tears, but he's forced to wipe the mucus with his hand.

"I love her very much... although I dunno if you'd be able to get it. I respect her decision, but... I feel so alone..."

"Do you really love her so much?"

"I'm capable of sacrificing my life for her. And I think you already know that."

"Then go win her love again! Insist with her! Where's she?"

"Far... far away... And even if she hadn't left, I can't force her to do what  **I**  want: she made a decision, and if I really love her, I must respect her. You ain't thinking about attracting her and trying to become her boyfriend, are you?"

"Do you really think I can do something like that?"

"You're moebian: you moebians embrace the filth that we mobians reject. And you're quite capable of making a harem and even doing worse things."

"Well, the idea of the harem ain't bad, but I didn't mean that. I meant to take away the love of your life: I could never do something like that to you. There are things that I hate you for... and I must admit that there are other things that are great but that you have and I don't, and that makes me feel  **a little**  envious..."

Tails giggles. "His Tyrannical Imperial Majesty, Miles the Serious, is starting to get outta the shell..."

"Shut up." Miles answers with a cutting voice. "As I was telling you, I'd be incapable to steal your girl from you. I ain't like your blue friend, who claims to be your best friend but then stabs you in the back."

"Stop it, Miles. I made sure that Sonic is a better mobian, and he has also learned the lesson already. As for what you said earlier... Women ain't objects, they're on equal terms with men, so you shouldn't talk about them that way. Remember: you wouldn't like to be treated like that either."

*sigh* "And here we go with your stupid moral standards... Anyway, I ain't an idiot like Scourge either, he was spending his time dating Fiona and other mobian women. If he had continued with that bad habit of his, it would have caused a kind of 'dimensional paradox" at any time."

"You're absolutely right about that guy."

Next, Miles wraps an arm around Tails' shoulders; slowly and without realizing it, the latter rests his head on him, and both finally give each other a hug. As usual, Miles' face looks serious, but the hug is cozy for Tails anyway.

"Going back to the topic: there are things about you that I hate, but when I knew about your relationship with Fiona and all your achievements, I've started to admire you too. So I would be incapable of committing such a treacherous act as attracting Fiona and driving her away from you. She's  **your**  prize, you deserve to enjoy her." Miles undoes the hug and points his finger at Tails' nose. "And don't start with your moral standards, because you know very well that I don't give a fuck. I respect that Fiona is yours, and I wouldn't let her be touched by someone who ain't you; so, you should be grateful for that."

"Well... It's good to know that you ain't gonna take advantage of her."

"Let's go back to the others."

"Okay, Miles."

They both go down the stairs, hugging each other again.

* * *

The two foxes return to the throne room, undoing the hug before being seen. Coincidentally, a soldier appears and meets with Alicia at the same time. Alicia and Miles had assembled militants before attacking Scourge, and now, that militia has become the official army of the Moebius Empire.

Soldier: [bows to Alicia] " _Your Majesty_ , I have an urgent message. It's weird: it's addressed to everyone who's present here."

Alicia: "Read it."

Soldado: "As you order. But I must warn that the message may sound offensive in some parts of it."

The soldier connects a pendrive to a computer, and starts reading the message.

_Greetings, dear idiots, I'm Doctor Finitevus. Yep, the same one that manipulated Knuckles about seven or eight months ago so that he becomes the Fourth Incarnation of Enerjak._

_I know that useless Officer Zonic is making his few neurons work excessively in his attempt to know how Scourge escaped; so, I'll make him save the effort: It was me who made possible the escape of that miserable moebian, and I did it using the Warp Ring of my invention. Later, I was his most influential assistant during his short reign, and from that place, I created two different armies. On the one hand, a bunch of mercenaries with a terrifying appearance but with a very low success rate, which would keep both Scourge and all of you entertained; Scourge deluded himself thinking that this army would realize his dreams of expanding his Empire beyond Moebius. On the other hand, a much stronger army, capable of crushing all of you with very little effort, and that army was supposedly loyal to Scourge but was created by me to serve MY interests._

_Now, Scourge is no longer useful to me, so I took the liberty of leaving Moebius along with all that "great secret army", letting you entertain yourself with the "smoke curtain" army and overthrow the insane hedgehog. Tails, I know you're there and I know what you're thinking: he had influenced Fiona Fox to commit treason, and then he fell because of his own techniques and his own stupidity. Yeah, I agree with you: a big irony, is not it?_

_And why am I revealing my plans to you now? Why am I revealing my strategy before this game is over? Well, it happens that the game is already over, at least for you. My "Great Finitevic Army", as I've called it, is about to make its movements from different points of Mobius, and when my forces advance on that planet, they'll be unstoppable._

_Anyway... We'll see each other again, Freedom Fighters, when I clean the planet Mobius and kill all of you. But believe me when I tell you that I'll feel very sorry to destroy you. Why? Well... Let's imagine you work for me: you would be excellent lieutenants, much better than Scourge when he was King of Moebius, and even better than Knuckles when he was 4th Enerjak; and when my work is finished and you cease to be useful for my plans, I wouldn't get rid of you, but you would be the only ones I would reward with a long life full of luxuries._

After listening to the soldier who read aloud Finitevus' message, all remain silent.

Sally: "We'd better get back to Mobius and get ready."

* * *

A while later, the KFFs are again in the meeting room of Freedom HQ. Colonel George Sommersby, Chief of Staff of the Acorn Army, enters the HQ and meets with them.

Sommersby: "Freedom Fighters, this is urgent: attacks are being carried out all over the world by a new enemy. This faction seems to be independent of the Eggman Empire, since it has also attacked some of its bases. The little information that various agencies have been able to collect says that these goons call themselves-"

Sally: [foreseeing what Sommersby is going to say, interrupts him] "The Great Finitevic Army."

For once, the bulldog's usually serious face is replaced by a surprised face.

Sommersby: "How did you know? Anyway... Another report reveals that its composition is very varied: free mobians, overlanders, humans, ex-soldiers of all the chapters of the Dark Egg-Legion, some robots also stolen from Eggman, a few beings that are possibly alien in nature, and so on."

Sally: "Understood. Thank you, Colonel."

Sommersby: [bows his head] "Anything for you,  _milady_."

When Sommersby leaves, Sally and Sonic, surprised, look at each other.

Sally: "It looks like they've not given up the habit of bowing and using those titles when addressing me."

Sonic: "Surely they don't do it just as a formality: they still really love you."

Bunnie: "Oh, yeah, what a nice compliment you've told  _Your Excellency_ , Sonic... I dunno if you're aware, but a new mad scientist is launching a plan to purge this world through an army that is probably much more powerful than it already seems to be."

Sally: "You're absolutely right, Bunnie: time to work. Major Amadeus Prower, Fiona and Lieutenant Leonidas Procion are in Shamar, doing a job in the service of GUN. We must warn them about Finitevus, send one more of our agents to support, and tell Commander Tower to do the same."

Rotor: "I'll prepare everything for a videoconference with Commander Tower. NICOLE?"

The holographic lynx girl appears in the room.

NICOLE: "I've heard what you said."

Rotor: "Okay, let's do it."

The walrus goes to an adjacent room, and the hologram of the Artificial Intelligence program follows him.

Sally: "Okay, now we have to decide who will go to Shamar."

Tails had gone to a laboratory to work on some project, and also to be alone for a while. Sally walks to the lab and is about to call him, but then she stays quiet: she has realized that, if Tails went to Shamar, he would have an uncomfortable encounter with his ex-girlfriend, and when they have to perform a mission together, that would bring problems to Tails, Fiona and those with whom they have to work .

Sally: [thoughtful] "Hmm... So, who wanna go to Shamar? Who wanna volunteer?"

Antoine: [raises his hand] " _Moi_."

Sally: "Are you sure, Ant?"

Antoine: " _Tout à fait sûr_.  _De plus_ , I always wanted to know Shamar."

Bunnie: "Please, Tony, try to come back in one piece. [approaches his ear to whisper] We've not finished our vacation yet."

Antoine: [makes a small laugh, then puts his right hand on the heart and raises his left hand] "For  _mon père_ , I swear I'll come back in one piece."

The coyote and everyone else laughs, each of his comrades says goodbye to him and wishes him a good trip, and Antoine leaves the meeting room to go and prepare his things. When the coyote passes by the door of the laboratory where Tails is, he enters there.

Antoine: "Tails?"

The fox is still sitting with his back to Antoine, while working on some device.

Tails: "Yes, Tony?"

Antoine: "When I meet Fiona, do you want me to do something for you? Do you want me to give you a message from you?"

The child prodigy remains completely still for a few seconds, and then he gets up from the chair and walks towards the coyote.

Tails: "Try to talk to Fiona about our relationship and our separation. That's the only thing I ask of you. Don't tell her what to do and what not to do, don't act as if you were my spokesperson, etcetera. Just get her to open up and tell you what's going on. Ask for help from Dad or anyone else if you deem it necessary. [rests a hand on Antoine's shoulder] If you try but you don't achieve anything, don't worry about me: if you've made the attempt at least, I'll not be disappointed in you."

The coyote stands rigidly in a military pose.

Antoine: " _Comme vous commandez, monsieur Prower._ " ["As you order, Mister Prower."]

Tails: [makes a slight smile] "I look like Dad, don't I?"

Antoine: [makes a soft laugh and walks away from the lab] "You don't know how much..."


	3. Chapter 3: An excursion to Midesta.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, we will follow Antoine in his new mission in Shamar.

[ **Soundtrack:**   _Lawrence of Arabia: Overture_  –  **Maurice Jarre** ]

Midesta Region, Southwest of the Yurashia continent. 11:00 AM, Local Time, 3:00 AM, New Mobotropolis Time.

The sands of the ardent desert are crossed by a group of fifteen to twenty bedouins who use non-mobian camels as transport. They dress in their traditional attire, entirely made of cotton: a white  _thawb_  covering the whole body, white wide trousers fastened at the waist by a wool cord, and a  _keffiyeh_  on the head.

However, there's one of them that is not from around here: a male mobian coyote with blond hair, blue eyes and a beard that hasn't been shaved for a few days; he wears the same dress as the bedouins out of respect for their customs, and also because he knows that this attire protects him from the sun and allows the air circulation inside it. His belongings are being transported by other camels.

Antoine D'Coolette, Agent of the KFFs, Lieutenant of the Acorn Army and Honorary Agent of GUN, had departed from New Mobotropolis' Airport at 8:00 PM the previous day, Acorn's Capital's Time; after four hours of travel in a jet provided by GUN, he arrived at the airfield of the small city of New Nineveh, being 8:00 AM in this city. Now he's going to the Southeast, towards the city of Shamar.

The Federated State of Shamar, which was originally a single self-sustaining human colony in the middle of the desert, is now a group of several cities with a predominance of diverse peoples and religions that existed before the Xordas' attack: arabs, syrian-lebanese, hebrews, iranians, tuaregs, turks, kurds, afghans, armenians, assyrians settled in New Nineveh, and other peoples, and religions such as Judaism and the different variants of Islam, along with a significant number of faithful to Christianity. In the original city of Shamar, now converted into a large cosmopolitan city, are the government buildings of this State of the United Federation, as well as the religious institutions that have a presence here.

When the bedouins arrive at the gates of the bustling city, they say goodbye to Antoine and resume their journey through the desert, and the coyote continues on his way to a needle-shaped skyscraper: GUN's offices in Shamar. Once inside the building, he's greeted in the entrance hall by a male mobian raccoon dressed in the Acorn Army's uniform: Lieutenant Leonidas Procion, one of the comrades with whom he hoped to meet again. Procion is accompanied by a dark-haired, Syrian-Lebanese human woman in her fifties with brown eyes; she wears office clothes, but she also wears the traditional simple-type veil or  _hijab_ , which only covers her head and neck and reveals her face.

Procion: [stands between Antoine and the human woman] "Madam, I present Antoine D'Coolette."

Human woman: [shakes her hand with Antoine's] "Welcome to Shamar, Honorary Agent D'Coolette. I'm Fatima Safra, GUN's Commissioner in the Federated State of Shamar."

Antoine: [bows his head] " _Enchanté_ ,  _madame_  Safra. I guess Lieutenant Procion has already told you about  _moi_."

Commissioner Safra: "Actually, I've already heard about you before. Like the other members of the Freedom Fighters, you're well known around here. [to Antoine and Procion] Lieutenants, please, come with me to the meeting room."

* * *

A while later, on the 47th floor of the skyscraper, Antoine, Procion and Commissioner Safra are already in an empty meeting room.

Safra: "Do you want something to drink, Lieutenant D'Coolette?"

Antoine: " _Oui_ ,  _merci beaucoup_.  _Et_   _s'il vous plaît_ , just call me 'Antoine', ou 'Tony'."

A waiter enters the room and approaches Antoine.

Waiter: [with an arabic accent] "Your order?"

Antoine: [to the waiter]

"عصير البرتقال، من فضلك"

["Esir alburtaqalu, min fadalka.", "Orange juice, please."]

Waiter: [somewhat surprised]

"بطبيعة الحال يا سيدي. وسوف تكون جاهزة قريبا جدا."

["Bitabieat alhal ya sydy. Wasawf takun jahizat qaribaan jidaaan.", "Of course, sir. It will be ready very soon."]

Antoine: [makes a slight smile]

"طيب، لا تقلق. لا يوجد الاندفاع."

["Tayib, la tuqaliq. La yujad alaindifae.", "Okay, don't worry. No hurry."]

The waiter leaves the room, and both Procion and Safra (especially Procion) are surprised and looking at Antoine.

Safra: "Where did you learn Arabic?"

Antoine: " _Quoi_? Oh,  _non_ ,  _madame_. Actually, I don't know how to speak Arabic. I only learned a few sentences."

Safra: "A few sentences... Modesty is something we also value,  _Tony_. It's something that seems to be forgotten by many, even by some faithful of the Muslim religion: for example, the humans who made the existence of this skyscraper and other similar ones possible."

Antoine: " _Eh bien_ ,  _mon peuple_  are not known precisely for possessing the gift of modesty,  _et_   _je_  wasn't  _très_  modest either.  _Mais_  I'm forced to mention, without intending to offend you personally, that Islam still has some disadvantages in terms of gender equality. Perhaps one of the clearest examples is, among other things, the fact that women are forced to wear the  _hijab_."

Safra: [arches an eyebrow] "You westerners are not better. You also demand that the woman comply with certain dress codes, not to mention that you abhor any imperfection in the woman's body; in fact, if a western woman has a small sign of cellulite or a waist a few centimeters thicker than accepted by her society, she's forced to cover her body. Of course, this isn't imposed by law in your case, but it seems so because of the enormous pressure exerted by society."

Antoine: [is silent and poker-faced, then bows his head and makes a small laugh, and looks back at Safra bowing before her] "I guess I must admit that you've given me a beating in this debate.  _En tout cas_... Is  _Marshal_  Prower here?"

Safra: "Not really. He's leading an operation in Jordan City. To be a westerner, he's quite peculiar."

Antoine: " _Oui_ ,  _il_  taught me what  _je_  know about Arabic.  _En fait_ , if it hadn't been for  _Marshal_  Prower,  _je_  wouldn't be who  _je suis_  now."

Safra: "A jeep will take you and Lieutenant Procion to the current location of  _Marshal_  Prower. Oh, and I assure you, when you arrive, you'll be surprised with what you're going to see."

* * *

To the west of the city of Shamar, there are several localities that, as a whole, form Jordan City. These settlements are populated by humans belonging to two very different peoples: one million Hebrews faithful to Judaism, and one million Arabs of Muslim religion. The central government of the United Federation devoted a lot of effort to getting both communities to reach an agreement, but it was being tremendously difficult.

On the one hand, companies in Empire City were interested in exploiting Shamar's resources, and they had bribed the government of the hebrew localities, provided them with weapons and used their influence to initiate violent actions against the arabs; on the other hand, a series of cruel attacks on the arab settlements had triggered an extreme reaction in the form of terrorist attacks against the hebrews, and the hatred existing between the citizens of both communities seemed irreconcilable...

At 12:00 AM, a jeep arrives at a camp of enormous dimensions, installed at some distance from Jordan City. Antoine and Procion get out of that jeep and they walk towards the biggest tent.

Antoine: " _Allez_ , Leo, Tell me what miracle the  _Marshal_  did this time."

Procion: "Sorry, Tony, but I want you to see it yourself. I assure you that this surprise won't disappoint you."

Both finally enter the tent. Inside, there's a large table with a map on it, some chairs, a bed consisting only of a mattress on the floor and a pillow on one end, and a strange coat of arms hanging on a wall.

The shield has, in its center, a square that was rotated 45 degrees and is divided into four parts: the upper left and lower right quarters have the drawing of a crescent, and the other two quarters have the drawing of a Star of David. In turn, the square turned is accompanied by a flag on each side: the flag on the left side has three broad vertical stripes of black, white and red, and the central white stripe has the drawing of a green crescent and star; the flag on the right side is blue and has the drawing of a white Star of David.

_"Do you like the coat of arms?"_

Antoine and Procion turn to a door on their left: there's a 45-year-old male mobian fox, with blue eyes, orange-brown fur with some lighter parts, with brown hair on his head, and with his left eye replaced by an advanced cybernetic eye. He wears the uniform of Field Marshal of GUN: gray jacket, with red epaulettes with a sort of golden laurel branches, with red and light-blue lines that adorn the jacket, and with several military medals; a dark blue band on the right arm, with GUN's symbol and the acronym HM ["Honorary Member"] written in white letters; grey trousers; gray military cap with lofty front and a curved "saddleback" shape; glasses to protect his eyes from the sand; motorcyclist gloves, and black boots.

Antoine: "Amadeus Prower..." [stands in a rigid military pose and extends his hand to the fox]

Amadeus: [laughs] "Come on, Tony, ake out that hand. [hugs him suddenly and pats him on the back, undoing the hug afterwards] It's great to see you again, my friend."

Antoine: [relaxes again] "It's also good to see you again. I guess you feel at home now, going back to the  _front de bataille_."

Amadeus: "Yeah... It isn't exactly the same as in the Great War, now there's more technology and other things that make everything  **a little** easier... But yes, I'm doing again what I've always trained for."

Antoine: "I have some news about the National Council of Acorn."

Amadeus: "Did Rosemary manage to become a Councilor?"

Antoine: " _Oui_ ,  _monsieur_. The other elected members were Sir Charles Hedgehog, our comrade Rotor Walrus,  _et_   _trois_  former members of the KFFs' Substitute Team: Penelope Platypus, Dylan Porcupine and Hamlin Pig."

Amadeus: "The Substitute Team?"

Antoine: "It was a team formed in the last months of the First Robotnik War, its goal was to supplant us, the most important members, when we weren't available,  _et_  they even rescued us from a trap in which we had fallen on one occasion. The surprising thing about that team was not only that, but also its leader: Larry, a lynx who was known as a jinx and, as a result, a very low self-esteem,  _mais_  who skilfully managed the team while it existed."

Amadeus: "But that team doesn't exist anymore, right?"

Procion: "After the Robotnik War, the team was no longer useful; at the same time, several unfortunate events resulted in two of its members, the armadillo Arlo West and the eagle Cyril, being injured and having to leave the team, which dissolved soon after. I was thinking about joining them when it happened."

Amadeus: "Alright, the platypus, the porcupine and the pig are Councilors now, and the armadillo and the eagle are retired. But what happened to the lynx?"

Antoine: "The last thing I knew about Larry was that he ran as a candidate  _mais_  all his ballot papers were mysteriously destroyed before the vote."

Procion: "It would be nice if Larry's potential could be exploited in some way. You had potential, Tony, so he could have it too."

Antoine: "I also have news that isn't so good..."

Amadeus: [very worried] "Did something happen to my son?"

Antoine: "Actually, he's fine, despite being a little hurt after our last mission. But the bad news isn't about him, but about Sonic's father, Jules Hedgehog."

Amadeus: [still serious, but relaxed after knowing about his son] "Continue."

Antoine: "As you already know, all the robians of Mobius were abducted by the Bems to de-robotize them. It happens that, as far as we know, Jules was the only one who couldn't be returned to his organic form. It seems he had a mortal wound before being roboticized, and the Bems would have killed him if they had turned him into a flesh-and-blood creature again, so they decided to keep him in his robian form."

Amadeus: "Well, I already knew about that wound of Jules. He had been shot in the head during the Great War, and the only way to save his life was using the new invention of his brother Charles: the Robotizer. Originally, that invention had medical purposes, but Robotnik sabotaged it, and when Jules underwent the process, his life was saved but he lost his free will. That was a prelude to the coup d'etat that Robotnik would make later."

Antoine: " _Oui_ , Chuck told us all that...  _mais_  only after he drank a whole hip-flask of whiskey specifically made for robian consumption. *sigh* Let's talk about something more pleasant: Procion told me about a surprise prepared by  _vous_."

Amadeus: "A surprise?"

Antoine: " _En verité_ , I had heard that you did miracles... again... but someone didn't want to give me details when I asked..." [gives Procion a look]

Amadeus: "Oh, yeah, the surprise... You'll see it soon. [goes back to the tent door and leaves for a few seconds] Colonels! Could you two come here for a moment?!"

The Marshal re-enters the tent, and two human men enter shortly after. The two have their skin somewhat tanned, have brown hair and are dressed in uniforms of soldiers of GUN, uniforms that have a small flag stitched on the left sleeve, near the shoulder. One of them has gray eyes, short hair and recently shaved beard, and the flag on his uniform's sleeve is equal to the flag that is to the right of the coat of arms decorating the tent's interior; on the contrary, the other has brown eyes, a little longer hair and a bushy beard, and the flag on his uniform is equal to the flag on the left of the coat of arms.

Amadeus: "I present to you Isaiah Ben David... [points to the gray-eyed human] and Muhammad Gamal Sharif." [points to the brown-eyed human]

The coyote looks at the two "colonels" of Amadeus Prower, and he immediately realizes that Ben David is hebrew and Sharif is arab... which finally makes him realize everything with great surprise.

Antoine: "Now I get it... [looks at the coat of arms] Finally, you succeeded... [looks at Amadeus] How did you do it?"

* * *

At 1:00 PM, Antoine, Proción, Amadeus and their two colonels are sitting around the table while having lunch. There are still two empty chairs, reserved for people who's coming.

Amadeus: [to Antoine] "All the settlements of Jordan City, both arab and hebrew, were attacked early yesterday by a powerful army that suddenly appeared and conquered the whole area within minutes. That organization brings together assassins, terrorists and mercenaries of arab origin, on the one hand, and almost all the members of the Special Forces and the different Security Forces of the hebrew settlements, on the other. The population has been evacuated on time, but Jordan City is now fortified."

Antoine: " _Eh bien_ , I understand all this,  _mais_  what do an arab colonel and a hebrew colonel have to do with all this?"

Procion: "As you surely know, the relationship between both peoples has always been very... [tries to find a suitable word] very...  **tense**. At first, GUN entrusted  _Marshal_  Prower with the mission of  **pacifying**  this area. So he summoned some humans, both arabs and hebrews, and tried various ways to achieve some kind of agreement, at least among ordinary citizens."

Ben David: [with a hebrew accent] "And then the invasion of that army of traitors happened. After evacuating the city, Prower met with me and with Sharif, the officers with the highest rank and principal leaders of the refugees, who are now in this camp."

Sharif: [with an arab accent] "We had a lot in common, after all. Prower gave a speech to all the refugees, emphasizing that and other things: first, the invaders' actions are very serious sins regardless of religion; second, all the violence between both peoples is the fault of certain people from outside this city, people who have vested interests in this area, so, we weren't going to solve anything by letting ourselves be carried away by the personal revenge of one people against the other and fighting an endless war between us. Everyone listened to his speech, we worked as translators for our respective communities, and at nightfall, everyone in the camp was at peace with each other. A real miracle."

Ben David: "Each family is in its own tent, but the tents of the arabs and the hebrews are distributed throughout the camp, instead of all the hebrew families on one side and all the arab families on the other side. Even arab and hebrew children are beginning to play together."

Antoine: " _Et_  the coat of arms? How did you create it?"

Amadeus: "The rotared square is based on an alternative symbol of the humanitarian organization 'New Red Cross': the Red Crystal. This symbol represents any organization of the same style as the New Red Cross, ignoring the religion of the members of those organizations. A symbol like that is perfect to represent this new community created by refugees from Jordan City, where everyone lives together regardless of differences in professed religion. Inside the rotated square, there are two parts with the drawing of the jewish Star of David, and two other parts with the drawing of the muslim crescent, but the way these four parts are located represents the way in which both communities are united now: they're not only two peoples, two religious communities, united only formally, but they're integrated with each other in one people."

While the five are chatting, two mobian women enter Amadeus' tent: a red-furred fox with almond-colored parts, with reddish-brown hair and blue eyes, dressed in a red tunic, and a golden-furred bat with white hair on her head, with light-blue eyes with a light-blue eyeshadow, dressed in a blue tunic. Antoine stands up from the chair and addresses them.

Antoine: "Fiona,  _mon ami_ , long time no see..." [hugs the vixen]

Fiona: [pats Antoine on the back] "Same here, buddy."

Antoine: [undoes the hug] "Are you having a good time here in Shamar?"

Fiona: "One could say, Yes. [points to the she-bat] But Rouge arrived this morning, and she's already having a bad time."

Antoine: [addresses Rouge] "What problems have you gotten into now, Agent Rouge?"

Rouge: "Well... It seems that I'm so beautiful that everyone gets nervous and they demand that I not show my charm. But whatever the ideas of these people, I'll only wear this tunic. Never, I'm  **never**  gonna wear a  _burqa_."

Sharif: [makes a short laugh] "Don't worry about that, Agent. The  _burqa_  is mandatory only in the arab settlements south of the city of Shamar. Here, in Jordan City, we're not so extreme."

Antoine: " _Donc_ , do you want to sit down to eat,  _mesdames_?"

Fiona and Rouge sit at the table and start to eat, while Antoine puts a hologram projector in the center of it.

Antoine: " _Maintenant_ , I'll proceed with one of the missions assigned by Sally."

The projector turns on and starts to show some images, including an image of Doctor Finitevus.

Antoine: " _Mesdames et messieurs_ , I present to you  _le docteur_  Finitevus: an echidna scientist who, after a failed experiment with the Chaos energy, went crazy and began to plot several plans to 'clean' the world;  _il_  developed some methods of mind control, methods that  _it_  usually uses in combination with brainwashing  _and_  very elaborate deceptions.  _Apparemment_ ,  _il_  finally realized that wars can only be won by numbers, and  _il_ formed an army that most likely has more than enough to conquer the whole world. Its leader called it 'Great Finitevic Army' and seems to be very confident in his subordinates and in his plans, to the point that  _il_  even revealed a part of them: the Finitevic expansion would start today, with its soldiers starting from different points of the planet simultaneously."

Amadeus: "Do you think the capture of Jordan City has something to do with Finitevus?"

Antoine: " _Tout à fait sûr_."

Fiona: "I guess it's our turn now. So far, we knew that the responsible for the city's capture is a female mobian vulture called Nephthys. She was a member of the Dark Egg-Legion, charged with controlling Midesta. But Nephthys was only a Kommissar, so she was located below the Grandmasters in the DEL's hierarchy, so she couldn't give her opinion when Eggman and the Grandmasters met and made decisions. Technically, those who acted as intermediaries between Nephthys and Eggman were both the Iron Queen, Grandmaster of the DEL in Yurashia, and Diesel, Grandmaster in Efrika; however, neither they nor their respective subordinates have been seen in Midesta even once, and the Eggman Empire hasn't yet sent anyone to intervene in this region and subdue Nephthys; so, it's clear this region doesn't really interest them."

Rouge: "However, the formation of that army of goons and the capture of Jordan City weren't ordered by Eggman or by Snively or by any Grandmaster. Nephthys was known for having a very submissive attitude and the habit of immediately admitting her responsibility for any failure, but within the circle of hierarchs of the Eggman Empire, some were already realizing this was just a smokescreen, and it was suspected that Nephthys was seeking to be more independent, to have more power, to occupy a place of greater preponderance and, if possible, to become completely independent of Eggman; after all, poor was still forced to be a simple Kommissar who only carried out orders, although there would never have been any presence of the Empire in Midesta had it not been for her."

Fiona: [after having kept thoughtful for a few seconds] "If Finitevus has something to do with the capture of Jordan City, he has surely taken advantage of Nephthys' situation to promise power to her and add her to his cause, placing under his command also the soldiers who now make up this occupation army, which now became one of many Finitevic divisions settled around the world."

Procion: "How has Finitevus managed to attract all of them to their cause? And how has he managed to prevent them from fighting with each other over religious issues? Mental control hasn't yet developed enough to be effective over a whole army."

Rouge: "Money, Lieutenant Procion. Money buys everything. No exceptions. Well... almost."

Antoine: " _En tout cas_... We will make a call to Tails."

Fiona: [something uncomfortable] "Will you call Miles?"

Antoine: [notices Fiona's reaction, but pretends to know nothing about it] "If Finitevus  _réellement_  paid all of his subordinates to fight for  _il_ , Tails will be in charge of investigating where he could have taken out so much money."

Fiona: "And why not send Rouge to investigate? She has done it thousands of times before. Remember all the information she gave us a few seconds ago."

Rouge: [holds back a laugh, looking at Fiona] "Oh, no, I ain't able to investigate now. Let's ask your boyfriend for help."

In response, an even more uncomfortable Fiona looks at Rouge with a frown while the she-bat continues to hold back the laughter.

Meanwhile, the coyote configures the hologram generator to make a "holo-calling"; a few seconds later, a small hologram of Tails, of a height similar to that of a glass, appears on the table. Amadeus is stunned to see his son's injuries; Procion is also somewhat surprised; Rouge starts to look at him closely, apparently feeling attracted by the scars, and Fiona starts to feel very bad for some reason that isn't entirely clear.

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "Did you call me, Antoine?"

Amadeus: [desperate] "Son! What happened to you?! How did you end up like that?! [angry, addresses Antoine] Is this what you call 'a little hurt', Tony?!"

The coyote gulps.

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "Oh, hi, Dad. It happens that we had another fight against Scourge. But we defeated him definitely this time, he won't be a problem anymore."

Procion: "Now you're exactly like your father, Tails."

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "How flattering... [to Rouge] What are you looking at? Do I look so attractive to you now?"

Rouge: [bites her lower lip and gives Fiona a look] "You dunno how much..."

In response, Fiona looks away, avoiding looking at Rouge as much as Tails. However, this doesn't prevent the two-tailed fox from looking at his ex-girlfriend.

Tails: [by means of a hologram, in a monotone voice, trying to look into Fiona's eyes] "Hello, Fiona."

When he greets Fiona, her little plate with a  _lehmeyun_  suddenly becomes the most interesting thing in the world for the red vixen.

Fiona: [also in a monotonous voice, staring at her plate] "Hello, Miles."

Tails watches her in silence, with his serious face, and then turns to Rouge again.

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "It seems that Sally's request took effect: Abraham Tower sent one of his best agents."

Rouge nods in response.

Antoine: " _Bon_ , everyone already greeted each other,  _donc_  I'm going to start: we suspect Finitevus has soldiers because he paid them a lot of money. Can you investigate where that money might have come from? Summon all the people you need, take all the time you need, and so on."

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "Consider it done. [to Amadeus] When you come back, we will compete to see who's most hurt."

Amadeus: [in a joking tone] "Are you challenging me? Me, a war veteran, your own father?"

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "Exactly."

Amadeus: "I accept the challenge."

Tails: [by means of a hologram, to Rouge, pointing at her in such a way that his holographic finger almost touches her nose] "Don't get the team in trouble, and don't fight with Fiona in the middle of a mission. And as for her... [to Fiona] I hope we can see each other again."

With these last sayings of her ex-boyfriend, Fiona gets up from the table and leaves without even saying goodbye. Tails stares at her as she hurriedly walks out of the tent.

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "I guess I really went over the line this time."

Everyone else: [in unison] "You said it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Thawb: traditional arab tunic
> 
> Keffiyeh: traditional Middle Eastern kerchief, wrapped around the head and usually held with a rope called agal.
> 
> Hijab: veil worn by some muslim women; in western countries, the term is used to refer to a type of veil that covers only the head and neck, allowing the face to be seen. Technically, the word "hijab" referred to the muslim dress code, applied to both men and women.
> 
> Burqa: arab veil that covers the whole body (including face, hands and feet) and only has a grid at eye level to see where this garment's wearer walks.
> 
> Lehmeyun: A typical dish of Middle Eastern, Turkish and Armenian cuisine, consisting of a round flat bread, spread with a mixture of minced meat, onion, parsley, pepper and spices, baked and then consumed immediately, either as an appetizer or as street food.


	4. Chapter 4: Reconquering Jordan City.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the truth: Will Amadeus, Antoine, Fiona and Rouge manage to free Jordan City from Finitevus' control?

At noon the next day, in one of the streets closest to Jordan City's border, the typical bazaar is almost empty: there are only a few merchants selling handicrafts on the street, which in turn is being guarded by the occupation army. There are also a couple of women who walk by, dressed in burkas; it's evident that they're mobians: they're a 17-year-old adolescent and a 25-year-old young adult, but they're little more than one meter tall, their ears protrude from their heads despite being covered by the veil -especially in the case of the 25-year-old mobian-, and the 17-year-old mobian has a fox tail. Both are chatting softly as they walk between the bazaar stalls.

"I can 't believe I finally have to wear a  _burqa_. These idiots of Shamar... I'm fully entitled to show my body when, how much, where and how I please; I don't have to hide it or feel ashamed of it. To top it off, I can barely see what I have in front of me, I can't see where I'm stepping-"

"Shut up, Rouge."

"Come on, Fiona, admit that I'm right this time: Shamar's inhabitants are retarded. Or do you think it's right that a woman is stoned for a simple infidelity, while a cheating man is left in one piece?"

"We're in the middle of a mission, disguised to not seem suspicious. Do you want this mission to go well? Then stop complaining, keep walking with the f***ing  _burqa_  and keep up appearances, just this once."

While walking through the streets, Fiona and Rouge are watched closely by two human soldiers of the occupation army. One is a former member of an extremist arab militia, and the other is a former member of the Special Forces of some hebrew settlement; however, the vixen and the she-bat suspect the looks given by those soldiers.

"It's obvious those pigs look at us with lust." Fiona says. "I doubt very much that those two care about Jehovah or Allah or the principles of their respective religions or avoiding committing sins. If they worship some god, I bet it's a god in the shape of a suitcase full of money."

"Don't start with your optimism. Do you really think that Shamar's people are good by nature and the bad guys are just a few?" Rouge answers. "Besides, I thought you wanted women to be respected. Don't tell me you were the same as when you were Scourge's girlfriend."

"Rouge, when Islam was created, the use of the woman's body as a commodity was condemned, and the different types of veils served so that a woman ain't judged by her physical appearance. If a society uses the veil as a way of symbolizing that women have less right than men, it ain't the fault of the principles of that religion, but it's the fault of the people who misinterpret those principles."

"Come on, Fiona, don't play the know-it-all... You know very well that, in this State of the Federation, all men are pigs equal to that pair of soldiers."

"Stop it, Rouge. If you make another derogatory comment about Shamar's people..."

"What? What are you gonna do?"

"I'll tear off your  _burqa_ , and I'll tell that pair of soldiers that you're a prostitute disguised as a decent woman... Although that would be great for you: considering your background in terms of sex and how much you hate your current role in this mission, I think a job as a prostitute would give you an excellent cover."

"Wow... I imagined your threat was gonna be different."

"Oh, yeah? And what did you imagine I was gonna tell you?"

"Something like: 'Rouge, if you make another derogatory comment about Shamar's people, I'll tell Tails that you did something bad to me and then he will give you your due'."

Fiona remains silent at the mention of the two-tailed fox's nickname. Before the lack of answer, Rouge continues speaking.

"What? Don't you like to hear your boyfriend's name? Fiona, I don't understand why you broke up with him, let alone why you're so resentful of him. From a year ago until a few days ago, you were the happiest woman in Mobius to have a boyfriend like Tails, but now you don't even wanna talk about him. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"It's... complicated."

Rouge is about to answer, but...

 _"Mesdames, don't lose your concentration."_  A male with a Mercian accent speaks to the girls through a communicator.  _"We have an important mission to fulfill."_

The one who spoke to them through a communicator is standing on the roof of a nearby house, watching from afar Fiona and Rouge: he's a young male mobian coyote, with light brown fur and even lighter colored parts, with brown eyes, with a somewhat curly black hair on his head, and whose beard is already a little overgrown; he's dressed in a set of white cotton clothing, consisting of a  _thawb_ , wide trousers and a turban.

"Agent D'Coolette, what are we supposed to do if those soldiers try to take advantage of us?" Rouge says using the communicator.

_"Don't worry, mademoiselle. The Marshal is keeping a close eye on you two, making sure you're safe. And if that doesn't work, I'm ready to intervene without attracting attention."_

"Trust Antoine, Rouge."

"Fiona, that's pretty hard for me, especially after Omega was almost torn apart during the mission in Mercia."

_"That wasn't my fault, mademoiselle. Ou am I wrong, Fiona?"_

"Wait: I think those two soldiers are following us." Fiona warns.

Rouge pretends to stumble, taking the opportunity to look behind her without raising suspicion. Indeed, she and the vixen are being followed by that pair of soldiers.

"If we fight with them in the middle of the street, our cover will be ruined." The she-bat says.

 _"חיילים_ _!_ _אה_ _,_ _חיילים נכבדים_ _!_ _בואי הנה_ _,_ _תסתכל מלאכות אלה_ _!"_

[ _"Yiilis! 'A, yiilis njbdis! Bw'ai hn, tstjl ml'ajwt 'alh!", "Soldiers! Oh, distinguished soldiers! Come here, look at these handicrafts!"_ ]

Fiona and Rouge recognize that voice: it's  _Marshal_  Prower speaking in hebrew. The two soldiers are distracted by that voice, and the two girls take the opportunity to look behind them, but they're surprised by what they see: he's a male mobian fox similar to the  _Marshal_ , but he has a disheveled gray hair and a careless, very bushy, gray beard and neglected, he's dressed in rags and barefoot, he wears rudimentary sunglasses, his body looks very thin, the parts of his skin that are exposed (face, hands, feet and the lower half of the legs) have sparse fur and it also reveals wrinkles, he seems to be walking hunched and with difficulty, and he also seems to smile with hope.

"בואי הנה, תסתכל על היצירה הגדולה הזאת של האמנות, בְּבַקָשָׁה."

["Bw'ai hn, tstjl 'ol hitzir hgdwl hz'at shl h'amnwt, bebaqashah.", "Come here, look at this great artwork, please."] The mobian fox, who's supposedly an old hebrew man selling handicrafts, shows his stall to the soldiers. There are several things on the table, and he points out a  _menorah_  apparently made of pure gold, as an example.

The two soldiers approach the old fox's stall. "What the fuck is he saying, Ben?" The arabic soldier asks to the hebrew soldier.

"Don't pay attention to him, Abul. He's one of those guys who sell trinkets." Ben replies, then turning to the old man. "Surely this scrap ain't made of gold, old fox. You can't fool us, you get it?"

However, the fox seems not to understand what they say, and he grabs them by the sleeve to guide them inside his stall.

"בּוֹא אִתִי, אני מתחנן."

["Boo'a 'aity, 'any mtynn.", "Come with me, I beg you."]

"Well, nothing will happen to us if we enter." Abul says.

Both enter there together with the old fox, leaving the three out of sight of any passerby. However, after all three have entered, the fox surreptitiously sticks a pin into Abul's leg.

"Ouch! What was that?!" He shouts.

"אופס! סְלִיחָה!"

["'Awps! Seliija!", "Oops! Sorry!"]

Abul is about to objurgate him, but immediately falls to the ground, sound asleep. Ben bends down to tend him, but the old fox knocks him out with the  _menorah_.

The fox takes a look at the  _menorah_  and finds a dent in it. Then, he turns to an unconscious Ben.

"Look how it was dented! This  _menorah_  was really pure gold!"

He proceeds to change his appearance, beginning by removing his wig, false beard, rudimentary sunglasses, rags and all makeup. Indeed, he's  _Marshal_  Amadeus Prower: the fur had been trimmed in some parts of his body, such as the hands, the feet and the lower half of the legs, so his false wrinkles are visible. Then, he checks the things of the two knocked-down soldiers for useful information, and then he starts to put on new clothes, preparing for what's to come.

* * *

Meanwhile, Antoine comes down from the terrace and appears on the street: he has also radically changed his appearance, pretending to be an important member of an extremist arab organization (someone who had actually already been captured by GUN without anyone knowing it yet), and he was personally instructed by Commissioner Safra to interpret his role well and look realistic to the soldiers.

The coyote crosses the street and enters the stall that was the cover of  _Marshal_  Prower. Half a minute later, he gets out of there holding the fox with his right hand, and that fox is dressed in traditional arab clothes in perfect condition.

"مهلا! لدي سجين!"

["Mahla! Laday sijiyn!", "Hey! I have a prisoner!"] Antoine yells at another pair of soldiers elsewhere on the street. He hides his Mercian accent well and he replaces it with an arabic accent that sounds credible to the soldiers.

One of the soldiers, a male mobian snake with robotic limbs added by Legionization, approaches the coyote.

"من أنت؟"

["Min 'anat?", "Who are you?"]

"أنا عبدالعزيز البَغْدَادِي."

["'Ana Eibdaleaziz Albaghdadi.", "I'm Abdulaziz al-Baghdadi."]

"أنا آسف، أنا لا أعرفك."

["'Ana asafa, 'ana la 'aerifik.", "Sorry, I don't know you."]

"كيف يمكنك أن تقول ذلك؟! كنت واحدا من ملازم عمر بن حسين، أمير الإخوان طالبان! إرسال شخص للتحقق من ذلك في قاعدة بيانات هذا الجيش. إذا كنت ترى ذلك ضروريا، وسوف تسمح لك أن تأخذ بصماتي."

["Kayf yumkinuk 'an taqul dhalka?! Kunt wahidaan min mulazim Eumar Bin Husayn, 'amir al'iikhwan taliban! 'Iirsal shakhs liltahaquq min dhlk fi qaeidat bayanat hdha aljaysh. 'Iidha kunt taraa dhlk darurya, wasawf tasmah lak 'an takhudh bisamati.", "How can you say that?! I was one of the lieutenants of Omar Bin Hussein, the Emir of the Taliban Brotherhood! Send someone to check it in the database of this army. If you consider it necessary, I'll allow you to take my fingerprints."] The coyote says apparently offended.

The snake turns to a male mobian lizard that was with him.

"اذهب وتحقق ما قيل من قبل هذا الرجل."

["Adhhab watuhaqiq ma qil min qibal hdha alrijla.", "Go check what this guy is saying."]

The lizard walks away to an office, where there's a computer with access to the database. Meanwhile, the snake addresses the coyote again.

"واسمحوا لي أن أغتنم هذا السجين لاستجوابه."

["Wa'iismahuu li 'an 'aghtanim hdha alsijiyn lastijwabih.", "Allow me to take this prisoner for interrogation."]

"لا، سأأخذه وسأستجوبه شخصيا. ومن المؤكد أن هذا الرجل تم تدريبه على مقاومة التقنيات التقليدية، وقد تم تدريبي من قبل بن حسين في بعض التقنيات الخاصة."

["La, sa'aakhudhuh wasa'astujubuh shakhsianaan. Wamin almuakid 'an hdha alrajul tama tadribuh ealaa muqawamat altaqniat altaqlidiati, waqad tama tadribiun min qibal Bin Husayn fi bed altaqniat alkhasat.", "No, I'll take him and interrogate him personally. This guy has surely been trained to resist the conventional techniques, and I've been trained by Bin Hussein in some special techniques."]

Then, the lizard returns with them, carrying in his hand a device to take fingerprints. Antoine goes ahead of them and puts the thumb of his left hand on the touch screen: indeed, his fingerprint matches perfectly with the thumbprint of the left hand of Abdulaziz Al-Baghdadi.

The lizard addresses the snake.

"وقد استعرضت أيضا خلفية هذا الشخص. في الواقع، كان الملازم الأمير بن حسين، وهو أيضا واحد من المطلوبين بعد من قبل وحدات الجارديان من الأمة. وجهه يطابق الصورة تماما. وتقول قاعدة البيانات إنه معروف بأساليب استجوابه الفعالة، وتقنيات يدرسها الزعيم نفسه لجماعة الإخوان."

["Waqad aistaeradat 'aydaan khalfiat hdha alshukhsu. Fi alwaqie, kan almalazim al'amir Bin Husayn, wahu 'aydaan wahid min almatlubin baed min qibal Wahadat Aljaridiaan Min Al'umati. Wajhah yutabiq alsuwrat tamama. Wataqul qaeidat albayanat 'iinah maeruf bi'asalib aistijwabuh alfaealati, wataqniat yadrisuha alzaeim nafsih lijamaeat Al'iikhwan.", "I've also reviewed the background of this individual. Indeed, he was a lieutenant of Emir Bin Hussein, and he's also one of the most sought after by the Guardian Units of the Nations. His face matches the photo perfectly. The database says he's known for his effective interrogation techniques, techniques taught by the very leader of the Brotherhood."]

Then, the snake turns to Antoine again.

"حسنا، سيد البغدادي، نأسف لهذا سوء الفهم. يمكنك أن تأخذ سجينك."

["Husna, syd Albaghdadi, nasaf lhdha su' alfuhum. Yumkinuk 'an takhudh sajinik.", "Okay, Mr Al-Baghdadi, we regret this misunderstanding. You can take your prisoner."]

The coyote starts walking down the street, holding Amadeus tightly by the arm. Then, Fiona and Rouge suddenly appear topless in the middle of the street.

"اعتقال هاتين امرأتين وتقديمهم! سنضعها في خلية أيضا، لعدم الحكمة!"

["Aietiqal hatayn amra'atayn wataqdimahum! Sanadaeaha fi khaliat 'aydanaan, laeadam alhikma!", "Arrest those two women and bring them! We will also put them in a cell, for indecency!"] Antoine shouts, appearing to be furious and scandalized, after having instantly understood the signal of the vixen and the she-bat. The snake and the lizard walk towards them and point their weapons at them, forcing Fiona and Rouge to cover their bodies and move.

A minute later, Antoine, the two soldiers and the three "prisoners" arrive at an empty police station. But Antoine and the supposed prisoners knock out both reptiles without making any noise, then they undress them, dress them again but in rags, and put them in the dungeons.

Then, Amadeus takes the identification cards of the two soldiers whom he had knocked out at the handicraft stall, and uses them to enter the database; meanwhile, Antoine also starts session using his fingerprints (Abdulaziz Al-Baghdadi's fingerprints, which Fatima Safra provided so that the coyote can carry out his cover), and the two mobian women use their hacking skills so Antoine and Amadeus have access to even more secret things.

* * *

Five minutes later...

Central Village is one of the many settlements in Jordan City occupied by the new army of the she-vulture Nephthys; until then, this was the site of the main places of worship of Jews and Muslims, and unlike other settlements, there was no majority of hebrews or majority of arabs, but both were present in the same amount.

Nephthys is enjoying the view from the top of the roof of a synagogue almost totally destroyed during her army's attacks. She's a Mobian vulture about 40 years old, with a completely white plumage, yellow lenses that shine in the sun, a very tall and thin body, and a white cloak.

Within the DEL (Dark Egg-Legion), she was one of the few that wasn't legionized, and something similar happened with many of her soldiers when she was a simple Kommissar. It's still that way, but with two big differences: now Nephthys leads many more soldiers besides those she already had, and she no longer obeys Eggman or any Grandmaster of the DEL, but instead works for Doctor Finitevus.

Suddenly, a crowd appears running through the desert, heading to Jordan City. Nephthys grabs binoculars and uses them to look at them: they're the refugees of Jordan City; some ride black non-mobian horses, and others ride on "motorcycles" that float a few centimeters high; they carry laser versions of AK-47 machine guns, and some also carry curved sabers... and they seem not to know that they'll be stopped by impenetrable walls and by a strong system of automatic turrets.

The vulture watches and remains calm, until...

" _Lady_  Nephthys!" A soldier, who came running there, shouts from the ground. "The outer defenses have been deactivated in all of Jordan City!"

Upon hearing this,  _Lady_  Nephthys drops the binoculars to the ground.

The refugees run towards Jordan City's walls without being attacked by the turrets installed there, and at that very moment, all the enormous doors of the walls open wide.

Desperate, Neftis grabs a radio and makes a call. "To all the soldiers: prepare as quickly as possible to defend the city-"

Then, the vulture sees something that makes her tremble with fear: Amadeus Prower, Fiona Fox, Antoine D'Coolette and Rouge Bates, who had defused the defenses and opened the city's gates, appear in the middle of the streets and become the leaders of the assault. Nephthys also drops the radio, lowers from the top of the synagogue and runs to the center of Central Village.

* * *

Both in the arab settlements and in the hebrew ones, the refugees of both peoples are fighting Nephthys' soldiers; the latter seem unable to resist the advance of such an angry crowd, and they're forced to retreat to Central Village. On the other hand, additional forces, sent by GUN, are trying to carry out airstrikes by means of missiles and airplanes, but Nephthys' forces activate an advanced system of missile launchers, which acts as a shield against any air attack.

In an outpost installed in the already reconquered territory, Amadeus Prower is together with the other three members of his command group. The  _Marshal_  is dressed in a "special" version of his uniform of he Acorn Army: blue military jacket, whose sleeves were torn off but whose epaulettes are still in place, and which he wears open and without another garment underneath; a big backpack on his back; blue baggy nautical pants, fastened by a black leather belt; green boots, and a red band tied to the head as if he were Rambo.

Antoine wears his typical uniform of the AFFs, the same one he used in the attack on Moebius; but this time, the uniform has a system to keep his body cool: a network of very thin ducts inside the uniform's material, which distributes cold water throughout the body.

The vixen also wears a version of her uniform of the AFFs: a white catsuit with some red and black lines, covering her entire body except the head, with the same "cooling system" as Antoine's uniform; in turn, Fiona is dressed in a hoodless cloak, which is also white with red and black lines, and this cloak has built-in electrical circuits, giving Fiona the ability to electrocute anybody who touches her at any time; her main weapons are a pair of special gloves, with a Taser on the back and an EM-pulse cannon on the palm; in addition, she's equipped with an electric whip.

Rouge has a new uniform, more suited to missions but just as provocative as the one she used to wear. It consists of: a tight-fitting dark purple outfit, which exposes most of her chest, with a pink bodice-like garment and belt with a heart-shaped buckle around the waist; dark purple boots with thick pink collars and box-like white and pink squares below the collars and pink and white heels; white gloves with a thick pink cuff like to those at the top of her boots, and pink eyeshadow.

The four have their characteristic weapons: Amadeus and Antoine's modified sabers, Antoine's high-tech bow and arrows with tricks, Fiona's electric weapons, and Rouge's two ordinary bullets pistols.

Amadeus: "Comrades... We will have to quickly enter Central Village, neutralize that 'missile shield' and capture Nephthys. We've come pretty far with this, so let's not stop here. Are you all ready?"

Fiona, Antoine and Rouge: [in unison, with a firm voice] "Yes sir."

Amadeus: "Okay... As Sonic would probably say: let's rock."

* * *

Under the midday scorching sun, a few relaxed arab soldiers are patrolling a street near Central Village's limits. Many of them had been members of terrorist organizations at some time.

_RA-TA-TA-TA-TA!_

"Argh!" A soldier is hit by the bullets of a machine gun. The others are on alert, but it's too late.

[ **Soundtrack:**   _Judgement_  –  **Metal Slug X OST** ]

The command group composed of Amadeus, Fiona, Antoine and Rouge runs through the streets of Central Village. The AK-47 rifles of the ex-terrorists turn out to be useless: when one of the four Mobians sees someone of Nephthys' army, the four quickly join forces and simultaneously attack anyone who crosses their path, using modified Uzi machine guns whose bullets are made of uranium and have a hollow tip.

_RA-TA-TA-TA-TA! RA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA!_

_"Argh!" "Urgh!" "Argh!"_

A few seconds after entering the city, they're greeted by a truck with three hebrew soldiers preparing to throw their grenades; the four mobians shoot at the truck, which ends up turned into gruyere cheese and explodes a few seconds later, with the three soldiers and their grenades inside. But the mobians are surprised by a Stealthbot-class drone (probably stolen from Eggman) that floats above them and starts dropping particle bombs in groups of three; anyway, the quartet destroys the unmanned ship the same way it destroyed the truck.

_**BOOM!** _

Antoine and Fiona enter an abandoned house, go up to the terrace and start to move through the city by jumping on the roofs. Meanwhile, on the ground, Amadeus and Rouge kill every soldier who tries to stop them, until they're stopped by a tank (more like a "wall with wheels") that gets in the way and occupies the entire width of the street; at the top of the front of that tank, there 's a cannon that starts to shoot and drop to the ground mines that roll towards Amadeus and Rouge. While they elude the mines, he gives her his backpack, which is full of freshly activated bombs; the she-bat takes off and, when she's in front of the mouth of the cannon, she throws to it the backpack with the bombs about to explode.

_**BOOM!** _

The tank is turned into a mountain of smoking scrap, only two meters high and with slightly steep slopes. The  _Marshal_  climbs by it with little difficulty, and continues his advance at the same time as Rouge.

Meanwhile, Antoine and Fiona descend from the terrace of a house and arrive at a muslim temple, an exact replica of an ancient human temple called "The Dome of the Rock". Nephthys' army had turned the temple's golden dome into a sort of cluster of missile launchers: the missiles launched from the dome destroy anything that poses a threat, especially if it's an enemy aircraft or missile.

"Damn 'em... I'm sure this was Finitevus' idea." Fiona says while looking at the dome. "I'll make him pay for having turned this place of worship into a weapon."

Five ex-members of the hebrew Special Forces throw themselves on the two mobians, but Antoine fires a arrow with diamond tip, which pierces the five soldiers. Then the missiles start to be fired in the direction of the two mobians. The coyote points to the dome, fires an arrow that destroys one of the cluster's missile launchers, and then he fires all the remaining arrows, which are remote-controlled and begin to gradually destroy the rest of the weapon; Fiona fires lightnings to destroy any missile already launched and to kill any enemy soldier who tries to approach.

Finally, one of Antoine's remote-controlled arrows enters through a hole in the dome and it explodes inside.

_BOOM! BOOM!_

This causes a chain reaction, with all the missile launchers exploding one by one along with all their ammunition...

_**KA-BOOM!** _

Until the doors are pulled from their hinges and thrown out...

_**BROOOOOOM!** _

And the temple collapses and is reduced to rubble.

However, a launched missile flies swiftly toward Fiona, who barely has time to react. Luckily, Rouge arrives just in time to interpose...

_BANG!_

And she destroys the missile with an accurate shot from her gun.

_**BOOM!** _

"Thanks, Rouge."

"Thank me later, Fiona. Now we have to capture Nepthys."

Amadeus arrives at the place and goes ahead of his companions. Then, a camel appears carrying a fruit basket on its back; suddenly, an arab soldier comes out of the fruit basket and starts shooting Amadeus with a blaster pistol. The fox crouches, jumps and glides across the ground with amazing skill as he shoots the fruit basket, which looks surprisingly invulnerable. Finally, the arab soldier comes out of the basket to shoot again, and at that same moment, the  _Marshal_  launches his modified saber as if it were a javelin, killing him. The camel, finally free, escapes while the soldier falls dead to the ground, and then the fox retrieves his saber.

A truck arrives at the site by going in reverse, and several ex-members of the hebrew Special Forces get off it one by one, but the four Mobians re-use their modified Uzi machine guns to kill them before they can even fire from a distance. Then, they destroy the truck in the same way they destroyed the previous truck and the stealthbot, but they find interesting things inside it.

On the one hand, there's a camel with a 12.7 mm Gatling gun attached to each side; the two machine guns are independent of each other and they can rotate 360 degrees and point in any direction.

On the other hand, there's a strange tank with room for two mobian-sized passengers: it's two meters high, two meters long and two meters wide; the tank's treads has a sort of claws, which cling firmly to the ground to ensure maximum traction; its main weapon is a 100 mm rifled cannon, the barrel itself being about 30 cm long; its secondary weapons are a "gun pod" on each side, which contains a machine gun and a small guided missile launcher, and both "gun pods" are also independent of each other and can rotate 360 degrees and point in any direction; the upper half (the "head" of the tank, which represents almost half the volume of the vehicle and that even has a pair of eyes drawn), which has the main weapon, has a cabin for the person in charge of firing it, as well as a hatch, a headlight, a periscope and a radar at the top; in the lower half there's another cabin, whose occupant drives the tank and fires the weapons of the two "gun pods"; finally, there's a hydraulic system that allows the tank to jump to a small height with its wheels, and the same hydraulic system also allows it to "crouch", revealing a hatch that allows the driver to enter, exit and even use throwing weapons such as grenades.

"I know that tank." Fiona says. "Miles invented it, and then GUN bought him the design."

" _Donc_  GUN will have to explain  _pourquoi_  this tank was here, in the hands of Nephthys." Antoine says. "Until then, we'll take it."

While the tank is "crouched", Antoine enters the lower half and Fiona enters the upper half, and then they make the tank return to its original position. Rouge takes off, and Amadeus rides the camel with machine guns.

While they continue to advance through the streets, they're crossed by more arab ex-terrorists, and missile launchers also appear, each driven by a hebrew soldier and escorted by two other ex-members of the Special Forces. Fiona uses the tank's cannon to destroy the missile launchers, Amadeus uses his camel's Gatling guns to shoot down the soldiers, Rouge also shoots them from the air, and sometimes Fiona makes the tank crouch, letting Antoine use his hatch to shoot arrows, which fall on the enemy from above and prevent his route from being predicted.

When the mobians arrived in a square, five helicopters, small but with built-in machine guns, come flying in a row and start firing. The mobians try to evade the bullets and attack the helicopters with everything they have, but there are drawbacks: the helicopters seem to be very well armored, and the tank's cannon can't be used because its bullets don't get very far and because the tank itself doesn't jump at a sufficient height, so the mobians have to use their machine guns to damage gradually the helicopters.

"Fiona, make the tank crouch." Antoine orders. "So I can shoot my explosive arrows."

"No! You'll be exposed, you'll be an easy target-"

"Not if we make the tank move while being crouched. Trust  _moi_."

Fiona, although reluctantly, makes the tank crouch, and Antoine keeps his foot on the accelerator. While the tank is advancing crouched, the coyote opens the hatch, and before the helicopters can point their weapons at him, he shoots an arrow with a bomb and a diamond tip together. The arrow pierces the fuselage of the first helicopter in the row, and when the bomb explodes, the fuel in the tank ignites.

_**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!** _

The helicopter is destroyed in a huge explosion, and since the other four helicopters flew in a row and were very close to each other, a chain reaction occurs and the five helicopters are shot down.

"Idiots." Rouge says. "That happens to them because they fly too close to each other."

Finally, they arrive at the ruins of the same synagogue from where Nephthys was observing. In fact, Nephthys is still there, standing in front of the door.

"Prower, Fox, D'Coolette, Bates... Congratulations for coming here. You would be great agents if you worked for me."

" _Oui_ , I've heard that before: it was said by Finitevus, the guy you're serving now." Antoine says poking his head through his cabin's hatch after the tank has crouched.

"You're wrong: I don't serve Finitevus, I serve Midesta and its people. If you don't believe me, look around."

Rouge looks at the whole city from the air. "Well... I see you caused destruction, you forced many people to escape to the desert, and you also took places of worship and turned them into weapons. I think that made Fiona very upset, so she's gonna shoot you with her tank's cannon at any time. And I'm already very tired, so I ain't gonna take the trouble to protect you from her."

Nephthys ignores Rouge's sayings. "I distanced Eggman's menace, and I also got hebrews and arabs to work together."

In the tank's "head", the hatch opens and Fiona takes off her head. "First of all: you're serving someone as evil as Eggman, maybe even worse. As for these soldiers: they're horrible people, they ain't representative of the arabs nor of the hebrews at all; and that union between them was successful because you paid them so they wouldn't fight."

"To be independent of Eggman, to achieve peace between the two communities of Jordan City... There are better ways to achieve those two things." Amadeus says while riding on his camel. "I can prove it."

*sigh* "Anyway... You four have managed to do enough, as I said before." The she-vulture pauses. "But until here you've arrived."

The ground starts to tremble and the synagogue's ruins are definitely destroyed while a super-badnik (also stolen from Eggman) breaks through the rubble. Nephthys steps aside while the robot prepares its weapons and heads towards the command group.

[ **Soundtrack:**   _Steel beast_  –  **Metal Slug 1 OST** ]

It's a modified version of the Mega-Bot. It's at least ten meters high, and it resembles a cross between a tank and a cyclops: it has a black upper torso with broad and round yellow shoulders which have short spikes on them; it has thick gray arms with yellow and black hazard stripes and four-fingered hands; in the Mega-Bot's "waist", its articulation allows it to rotate 360 degrees; its lower body consists of a red pelvis with gray tracks for legs, and yellow and black hazard stripes on the front; on its back it has an exhaust pipe and large vent-like tubes next to the shoulders; for head it has a thick yellow neck with a single red eye containing a slit-like pupil.

Amadeus walks away riding his camel, Antoine and Fiona re-enter the tank and return it to its normal position, and Rouge flies even higher. The Mega-Bot starts firing energy beams with its eye, and the mobians are forced to dodge the shots. Amadeus tries to shoot the Mega-Bot's eye with the Gatling guns of his camel, but the robot uses its left forearm to protect itself from the bullets. Rouge is about to shoot her from the air with her modified Uzi, but the Mega-Bot uses its right hand to try to catch her, so she's forced to fly away.

Then Antoine makes the tank advance directly towards the robot, and it uses its traction system to climb on top of the Mega-Bot and position itself diagonally; in this way, the cannon points towards the waist joint, and Fiona takes the opportunity to shoot at this weak point.

_PUM!_

_**BOOM!** _

The cannon shot doesn't hurt much, but the Mega-Bot reacts anyway, by launching missiles from its shoulders; the coyote activates the Missile Launcher Mode of the tank's "gun pods" and starts launching small guided missiles, which intercept the Mega-Bot's missiles.

_PUM! **BOOM!**_

_PUM! **BOOM!**_

_PUM! **BOOM!**_

The vixen keeps firing and reloading the cannon as fast as possible, until the robot's waist is severely damaged. Then, the Mega-Bot voluntarily breaks its waist joint, gets rid of its lower part and begins to fly; meanwhile, it also opens a hatch in his torso and launches three guided bombs that fly and chase its enemies. Suddenly, Rouge stands on top of the Mega-Bot's head; when one of the remote-controlled bombs, which was chasing her, is close enough, the she-bat flies away.

 **"NO!"**  Nephthys screams desperately.

_**KA-BOOM!** _

The bomb completely destroys the head of the Mega-Bot, which then falls to the ground and explodes; the other two remote-controlled bombs also explode in the air, and both Fiona and Antoine's tank and Amadeus are out of danger.

When the smoke has settled, the Prower Slug "crouches", and the vixen and the coyote come out of it. Amadeus gets off his camel, and Rouge lands.

"You just achieved victory, Agent Bates." Amadeus says using a solemn tone of voice. "I'll make sure everyone knows-"

"I'd prefer you not to do it,  _Marshal_." Rouge answers. "If you did, I could no longer work as a spy."

"I think it's worth celebrating this." Antoine intervenes.

"That's right." Amadeus answers. "But first..." He walks towards Nephthys, who was lying on the ground. "Someone will have to give us some answers."

"Yeah... I'll do everything you tell me." Nephthys says defeated. "I admit to being the only one responsible for all this suffering caused."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Menorah: seven-branched candelabrum, used in jewish rituals (sometimes it has nine branches instead of seven).


	5. Chapter 5: Traveling around Eurish by train, Part 1.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amadeus Prower's Midesta pacification mission finishes, but now he and his teammates will have to deal with Finitevus' army.  
> While they travel by train and relax, there will be conversations about very personal issues, a new romance will arise, and Commander Tower and Tails will again communicate with them to inform them about their next mission.

After Nephthys and her entire army have been captured, Amadeus and his team boarded a high-speed train bound for Empire City. The weather alert had been declared throughout South Eurish, and the Shamar-Empire City flights had been canceled; so, Abraham Tower had ordered to prepare that train so that the  _Marshal_ 's team is comfortable, and also so that Nephthys is safe during the trip.

The train departed from Shamar at 7:00 PM the previous day (5:00 PM, Empire City Time), and has already stopped at Chun-Nan and Soleanna; now it's heading directly to its destination, while it's 4:00 AM in Shamar and 2:00 AM in Central City. Arrival at Empire City is scheduled for 10:00 AM (12:00 AM, Shamar Time).

There's a channel that connects the Emerald Sea, in Southeast Eurish, with the Central Sea; thanks to that channel, there's now a meadow in the whole area around it. Below that channel there's a railway tunnel; through that tunnel is passing the train of Amadeus Prower train and his team, traveling at 300 km/h. One of the wagons is armored; inside there's a cell made of titanium and with armored glass; in turn there's a spherical force field, made of Chaos energy, inside that cell, and Nephthys is enclosed in that force field.

The  _Marshal_  and Fiona appear in the armored wagon. Amadeus is dressed in fine clothes, while the red vixen is dressed in casual clothes and her hair is loose.

Amadeus: "Is not Chaos energy amazing? It's very versatile, it allows to do so many things... For example, that force field."

Nephthys remains silent and with her head down.

Amadeus: "The device that generates that force field was invented by my son. He calls himself 'Tails', you already know him. I wish I was like him..."

Without Amadeus knowing, Fiona feels uncomfortable again and takes a step back when she hears Miles Prower's nickname.

Amadeus: *sigh* "Anyway... We want you to clarify some doubts. In fact, let's make things simpler: tell us everything you know."

The vulture is still silent and looking at the ground. Fiona approaches her cell.

Fiona: "Nephthys... Please, tell us everything. I know that you do this for your homeland, but if you keep quiet, you'll not be able to do any good. [starts to run out of ideas] Have you received threats of any kind, either Eggman or Finitevus? What did that echidna promise you?"

Nephthys is silent for a few seconds, and she finally breaks the silence.

Nephthys: "I know I'm not in a position to ask for anything, but... [raises her head and stares at Amadeus] I'm going to ask for something, and I implore you to listen and do what I ask of you."

Amadeus: "The fulfillment of your request will depend on what it consists of. Proceed."

Nephthys: [makes a long sigh] "Don't hurt the Desert Raiders. They didn't do anything bad, they're good people-"

Amadeus: "Wait: Who are the Desert Raiders?"

Fiona: "They're a team of Freedom Fighters operating in Shamar and its surroundings. Its members are the porcupine Spike, the fenec Sonar and the mole Trevor Burrow, with Spike being the team leader. When Eggman rose and we founded the Freedom Fighter International, aka FFI, the Desert Raiders appeared before the General Assembly and joined the organization. However, judging by what Nephthys says, they may have something to hide."

Amadeus: [nods and addresses Nephthys] "Continue. What is happening with these 'Desert Raiders' mentioned by you?"

Nephthys: "While Robotnik had the power, I had raised Spike, Sonar and Trevor as if they were my children. When Eggman declared war again, we saw he was unstoppable, he could even conquer Shamar and all the States of the United Federation if he had the opportunity, and we couldn't confront him directly.  _Ergo_ , we made this plan: I would infiltrate as a sort of "executor" serving the Empire in Midesta, which resulted in me rising in the ranks to reach the rank of Kommissar of the DEL, and my 'children' would form a team of Freedom Fighters who are now known as 'Desert Raiders'; we were both going to fight each other to make Eggman think he had some kind of control over Midesta, I was going to demonstrate my loyalty by taking responsibility for all the 'failed' attacks of my troops, and in that way, Eggman wasn't going to make a direct invasion of the region, with all the misfortunes that would entail."

Fiona: "I get it: the war between your troops and the Desert Raiders was a smokescreen, to prevent Eggman's wrath from reaching Midesta."

Nephthys: "That's why I'm asking you... No! I  **beg**  of you... to leave the Desert Raiders unharmed. We did all this with good intentions, and if someone must pay for doing all this, then that will be me."

The war veteran fox remains thoughtful, but poker-faced, firmly standing in front of Nephthys.

Amadeus: "We will tell everything to Commander Tower. And I'm referring to  _everything_."

Nephthys: [despairs] "NO! Please! My children don't deserve it!"

Amadeus: "That includes the information about the Desert Raiders and their relationship with you..."

Nephthys:  **"NO!"**

The she-vulture, about to cry, starts to hit the force field, although her efforts are futile.

Amadeus: "And it also includes what exactly you four did, and the reasons why you did all this."

Upon hearing this suddenly, Nephthys remains totally still and quiet.

Nephthys: "W- What?"

Amadeus: "If I can convince Commander Tower, he and I will try to move some threads so that you and the Desert Raiders are registered as secret agents and receive GUN's sponsorship."

Nephthys: [relieved] "Thank you... Thank you very much, sir..."

Fiona: "A wise decision,  _Marshal_."

* * *

Amadeus and Fiona move to another wagon, adjacent to the one where Neftis is. Here are the rooms for the passengers.

Fiona: "Sir, I'm gonna attend to a personal matter, if you don't mind."

Amadeus: "Okay, but remember: we have a conference shortly."

While Amadeus goes to his room to prepare some things, Fiona continues walking down the hall and opens the sliding door of another room, which isn't really her own.

Fiona: "Rouge?"

The she-bat, who was putting on makeup while looking at herself in a hand mirror, is surprised when the vixen appears standing at the door.

Rouge: "Fiona? What brings you here?"

Fiona: [shyly] "Can I talk to you?"

Rouge: [confused] "Of course. Come in and take a seat."

Fiona enters and sits next to the former jewel thief.

Fiona: "As I recall, you saved all of those guided bombs launched by the Mega-Bot. You were... very ingenious."

Rouge: [thinking] ("God, what the hell am I supposed to answer to her?")

Rouge: "Well... You're welcome. I'd do it again if necessary."

Fiona: "Yeah... Hehe... You're a heroine deep within you, after all. So..."

Rouge: "Are you okay?"

Fiona: *sigh* "Do you wanna date me?" [smiles hopefully]

Rouge: [taken by surprise] "Wow... Usually, I'm the one who invites someone to date-"

Fiona: "What? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you-"

Rouge: "It's alright, I wouldn't mind... giving up my ego occasionally. Where and when?"

Fiona: "Can it be now, in the dining car? Please?"

Rouge: "Okay, no problem-"

Fiona: "Thanks...!"

She's about to hug Rouge and kiss her directly on her lips, she hesitates for a moment. Finally, she gives her a kiss on the cheek, and then leaves the room smiling.

Rouge tries to process what happened. Meanwhile, Antoine, who casually had witnessed everything, stands by the door of the GUN Agent's room. He still has the same look as during the previous mission, as well as his unshaven beard and curly hair dyed black, but he took off his brown contact lenses, revealing his blue eyes.

Antoine: [confused] "What just happened?"

Rouge: "I wonder the same thing,  _steadfast tin soldier_."

* * *

Next to the room car, there is the luxurious dining-car: this place has, of course, a well-equipped kitchen and a bar, but there are also soft armchairs located around circular tables; with its lamps and its walls covered with wood and red velvet, it looks like a bar from the 30s of the ancient human civilization, and there's even a vinyl player that is bringing music to the environment.

[ **Soundtrack:**   _Fly me to the Moon_  –  **Bart Howard, version of Frank Sinatra** ]

"So... You walked around Shamar asking questions, and now you know who your parents were."

"Actually, Rouge, I walked around Shamar and other cities too. I have no idea of my parents' current situation, but at least I know something more about the past."

Fiona and Rouge are sitting on a sofa, facing a low table. Both are taking drinks.

"And can Iknow who they were?"

"Of course. My mother, Francesca Fuchs, was from Spagonia; she was very far from being rich, but she was also very smart and astute, and that allowed her to get a scholarship, study Biology at the University and graduate with the highest grade."

"And your father?"

"My father, Ali Tehran, was from New Persepolis, a settlement to the Northeast of Shamar, where the Persian community is concentrated; being very young, he had become very important in the clergy of that city. His parents had devoted their lives to religion, of course."

"I guess that's the reason why my comments about muslims made you angry."

"My father wasn't like the others of the cult to which he belonged: it was he who put forward ideas to modernize the Persian cult: women's inclusion, greater gender equality and stuff. It seems he got to convince New Persepolis' religious leaders by using a very ingenious argument: Hijaz City, a settlement to the South of Shamar, was always dominated by the Nejd sect, which was very conservative, unfair, and much worse than the others in terms of gender equality; a millennium ago, some of its followers wanted to implement reforms to improve and modernize religion, and as a result of internal conflicts, they separated from the Nejd sect and formed the Persian cult; so, when Ali went to propose that program of reforms to his bosses, he told them that, if the Persian cult didn't carry out that modernization, it would end up being as despicable and conservative as the Nejd sect."

"And did the Persian cult's leaders yield?"

"Actually, all the people of New Persepolis cheered on my father, and his bosses had no other choice: they carried out his program of reforms, and he was also appointed as one of the Persian religious leaders."

"What happened to your mother? You said she was a biologist."

"Yep. I have some photos, if you wanna see them."

Fiona gives Rouge some pictures where her parents appear together. Both were mobian foxes and were smiling happily and hugging each other. Francesca was almost like her daughter, except that her eyes were dark brown and her hair was orange-blond, and she was dressed very elegantly; Ali had golden-orange fur, dark brown hair and grayish light-blue eyes, his stature was a little lower than the average mobian fox, and he was somewhat disheveled.

"My maternal grandfather was from Habsburg, capital of the Archduchy of Noricum, a province of Mercia; he was very humble and he worked in carpentry. My maternal grandmother was from Liguria District, in Spagonia, and she was a very skilled surgeon."

While Fiona tells Rouge about her parents, the song ends, and an employee pulls out the vinyl from the music player and puts another vinyl on it.

[ **Soundtrack:**   _The way you look tonight_  –  **Dorothy Fields & Jerome Kern, version of Frank Sinatra**]

"According to sme people, my mother Francesca was flirtatious and even scandalous sometimes, which bothered Ali at first; but she was also very brave, she had a strong sense of duty with her work, and she didn't stay quiet when someone did something wrong, as well as being very smart, as I told you before. That's what finally made my parents together."

"But your surname ain't  _Fuchs_  or  _Tehran_ , but  _Fox_."

"I should have the surname  _Tehran_ , and according to muslim tradition, I should also be named after my paternal grandmother. However, it seems that Ali didn't get on very well with his parents, especially after proposing the reforms; besides, he 'renounced' that 'right' and 'gave' it to Francesca, so they both agreed my name would be a tribute to my mother and her family. Technically, my name is  _Fiona Fuchs_ : my maternal grandmother was named  _Fiona_ , and  _Fuchs_  was my mother's surname."

"And the surname  _Fox_?"

"In Germanic of Southeast Mercia,  _Fuchs_  means  _Fox_."

"Right. And what happened to your parents? How did you end up an orphan?"

"I have no idea, but people told me some things. Shortly after Ali became one of the religious leaders of his people, a division of the Robotnik Empire' Army made an attack on New Persepolis. Luckily, the attack failed, and both that city and all of Shamar remained isolated from the rest of the world; however, the most conservative members of the Persian cult took advantage of that opportunity and accused my parents of espionage. I was almost a baby and I had no memory back then. To prevent me or my parents from suffering reprisals, they had to go into exile and take me away from Shamar. Since then, nobody knew anything else, neither about my parents nor about me."

"It seems your parents did love you very much."

"Yes, lately I was suspecting they wouldn't have left me..." Fiona stares at the floor and then looks back at Rouge. "I- I'm deeply sorry, I shouldn't have boring you by telling you all this-"

"Don't worry. In fact, your story was very interesting."

"Thanks..."

"Fiona... Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Dating with me."

"What are you talking about?"

Rouge closes her eyes and shakes her head.

"Fiona, I'll ask you the same question I asked you in the middle of that mission in Jordan City: What exactly happened? Why did you break up with Tails?"

"Because... I didn't feel so good with him anymore."

"And why are you two not trying to solve your problems?"

"I don't wanna spend the rest of my life depending on Miles or regretting our breakup. I wanna overcome this..." Fiona gets a little closer to Rouge. "And I think that, if I wanna be with someone and rebuild my life, you're the best option."

Suddenly, Fiona kisses the she-bat on her lips.

This kiss doesn't surprise Rouge, but rather confuses her: the red vixen is kissing her with a lot of passion, maybe too much to be a "sincere" kiss. Anyway, she decides to return the kiss; another occasion will be presented to clarify this matter.

Fiona stands up, pulls the hand of her new "girlfriend", takes her out of the dining-car and enters with her into the bat room, closing the door and then blocking it. Meanwhile, Antoine and Amadeus are watching from one end of the passengers wagon, and the two look distressed.

"This won't please your son,  _Marshal_." Antoine says.

"Hope I can be helpful, when Miles has to overcome this." Amadeus adds.

They both keep looking at the closed door of that room for a few seconds.

"It's enough." Amadeus breaks the silence. "Let's go."

" _Vous avez raison_. Let's go back and prepare for the conference." Antoine leaves, followed by Amadeus.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later...

In the seats of Rouge's room, she and Fiona are sitting opposite each other and with their legs stretched out. Both are naked, but their bodies are covered by a blanket.

"Hope I didn't disappoint you, Rouge."

"Don't worry about that, Fiona."

_KNOCK KNOCK_

_"Mademoiselle Rouge! The conference!"_

"Just a minute, Antoine!" The GUN Agent addresses Fiona. "You already heard: let's go."

Then both women proceed to dress and get ready.

* * *

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "FINITEVUS HAS WHAT?!"

Amadeus, Fiona, Antoine and Rouge enter the dining car, where a "holo-conference" with several important people has already begun: Commander Tower, the Chiefs of Staff of the three branches of GUN, Shadow, E-123 Omega, Hope Kintobor... and Tails himself, who seems to be quite angry.

Tower: [by means of a hologram, tries to speak with authority, but is already feeling intimidated by Tails] "I'm sorry, Mr Prower-"

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "I don't want your apologies! I want you to do something! I trusted GUN to take good care of my inventions! And now I encounter this!"

Amadeus: "What are you talking about?"

Fiona: "About the tank."

Amadeus: "The tank we found in Jordan City? The one you said was invented by Miles?"

Tails: [by means of a hologram, breathes deeply in an attempt to calm down] "Let me explain, Dad. A couple of months after Robotnik was defeated, I started a personal project to make an idea come true: a tank of small dimensions, well protected, equipped with powerful weaponry, fast, agile, versatile, suitable to be used in any situation and to move in any battlefield, and able to working with only two occupants. Finally, I made my dream come true by inventing the  _Super Modular Tank - 001_."

Hope: [by means of a hologram] "Yes, I know it: the  _STM-001_ , aka  _Prower Slug Mk 1_."

Rouge: [tries to hold back a laugh] "Wait, give me a break: Did you invent a tank based on  _Metal Slug_? Did you invent it based on a video game?"

Hope: [by means of a hologram] "The invention works great, but I still find it quite irresponsible and stupid to build a war vehicle based on a video game."

Fiona: [furious] "Nobody says that about Miles, b****!"

Fiona realizes what she said (both the insult and what she said  _before_  the insult), is immediately silent and blushes a little, while everyone looks at her in astonishment.

Rouge: [recuperándose de la sorpresa] "Well... I've seen the tank in action. Admittedly, it works well, no matter how the idea came to its creator."

Hope: [by means of a hologram] "Anyway, the name is also ridiculous: it sounds like "the slug of Miles Prower" or something similar. [to Tails] Even if you're irresponsible, you're still someone with great potential, so you don't deserve to be known for having built something with that name."

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "First of all, I came up with the idea of the STM-001 even before I knew that video games existed: the people of Knothole just had access to video games several months later. And secondly, that's how I named the tank: one day, Fiona and I were playing a marathon of games of the series  _Metal Slug_ , she said the tank of the game resembled the STM-001, and it occurred to us to call it in a similar way, as a tribute; the two options were  _Prower Slug_  and  _Metal Miles_ , but  _Metal Miles_  was gonna sound like a robotic dopplegänger of mine created by Robotnik, so I decided to look ridiculous and name  _Prower Slug_  to my creation. [to Fiona] Do you remember, dear?"

Fiona: "What? Oh, yeah, of course I remember..." [blushes as she recalls the story told by Tails]

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "Let's go back to the issue that brings us together at this moment. [stares at Tower and starts to get angry again] Somehow, the Finitevics got  _Prower Slug_  units. Investigate it"

Tower: [by means of a hologram] "Actually, we already had answers-"

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "And why didn't you start with that part?!"

Antoine: "Tails..."

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "What? Any problem with me getting mad?"

Antoine: "What if you listen to  _monsieur le Commandant_   _et_  keep your anger until a time when it's more necessary?"

Tails: [by means of a hologram, starts to relax... again] "You're right. [to Tower] Continue."

Tower: [by means of a hologram] "Several soldiers of GUN have betrayed us: they left the organization and joined the Finitevic Army. Before revealing their betrayal, they got to take away some  _Prower Slug_  units; however, these tanks could only be removed by overcoming several levels of security, and the traitors didn't take many of them."

Rouge: "I didn't even know these tanks existed, so they were pretty safe before those soldiers committed treason and took advantage of their position to steal them."

Tails: [by means of a hologram, remains thoughtful] "At least, we already have good news: they didn't steal many tanks. Hope the Finitevics don't have any  _Mk 2_  unit."

Rouge: " _Mk 2_? Is there an even more advanced model?"

Fiona: "I'll explain: at first, the  _Mk 1_  worked with Power Rings, which provided a lot of energy for a long time but were available very rarely and in very little quantity; as a replacement for the Power Rings, Miles used fuel cells and rudimentary thermonuclear fusion reactors, which produced little energy and didn't allow much to be done. However, after the success of the quantum reactor, he used that invention as an energy source for the tank, and the large amount of energy provided by the reactor allowed for improvements that led to the creation of the STM-002, aka  _Prower Slug Mk 2_. Thanks to the use of the quantum reactor, the  _Mk 2_  is able to do much more than its predecessor: it's faster and more agile; it can carry more weight, which allows it to carry more ammo and have an armor of gold-titanium alloy; the instruments on the top of the tank are more efficient but also have a smaller size, and for the enemy's radars and guided missiles, detecting the  _Mk 2_  is much harder than detecting the  _Mk 1_ ; the Mk 2 also has a better hydraulic system and a set of small rockets in the base, and this allows it to jump higher; the tank's weight is more concentrated in the lower part, to prevent it from tipping over when trying to climb a ravine; the quantum reactor also supplies power to an advanced computer that automates the tank's controls, allowing a single occupant to drive it and use all its weapons at the same time; and last but not least, the cabin has a better ventilation and cooling system."

Everyone remains silent, until Tails begins to applaud. Everyone (especially Fiona) is surprised and looks at him.

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "Why are you looking at me like that? It's true: Fiona is a genius in these matters! When  **we**  invented the  _Mk 2_ , almost everything occurred to her only. The only thing that occurred to me was to use the quantum reactor as an energy source, but it was she who proposed to put all those things into the tank, taking advantage of the fact that it had more energy thanks to the use of the reactor."

Tails' "explanation" makes Fiona blush even more notoriously, and she tries to hide it again. Despite this, Rouge notices but only makes a slight smile.

Rouge: [thinking] ("It's obvious something still happens between those two...")

Shadow: [by means of a hologram] "Tails, stop being cheesy. You're already looking like Sonic. Let's go back to the subject of your stolen tanks."

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "You're right, Shadow. During the upcoming missions, you must recover the  _Prower Slug_  units stolen by the Finitevics, but if you cannot recover them, you must destroy them. The priority is the  _Mk 2_  units, not only 'cause they're the best, but also 'cause they contain a quantum reactor and we don't want Finitevus to replicate that technology. Got it?"

Amadeus: [with a firm tone] "Perfectly." [thinking] ("A  _Marshal_  obeying orders from his own son... This is crazy.")

Tower: [by means of a hologram] "The Finitevics have also stolen some  _Super Tornadoes_ ,  _Prowernoids_  and other war vehicles developed by Miles Prower."

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "The  _Super Tornado_  is a fighter jet with vertical takeoff and landing system, small but very well armed; the laser machine guns have incorporated the same system I invented for the  _Prower Slug_ 's "gun pods", which makes them independent of each other and able to pointing and turning in any direction; the only difference is that the  _Super Tornado_ 's machine guns can only rotate 180 degrees and cannot point backward, although they can point up, down and sideways. I invented it as a successor to my plane, the  _Tornado_ , but adapted for air combat."

Rouge: "And what about the  _Prowernoid_?"

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "It's a rudimentary vehicle that I had created as one of my first projects, but it can be very useful if it's used well: basically, it's a small cabin with a pair of legs under it, and these legs don't allow to walk very fast but they have rockets that allow to jump very high; on each side of the cabin there's a laser Gatling gun, and those two machine guns ain't only able to rotate 360 degrees and point in different directions, but also allow the pilot to create a 'wall of bullets' when they shoot together towards the same place, which prevents the enemy from advancing and attacking; at the base of its cockpit, the  _Prowernoid_  has a cannon pointing to the ground and can fire 100mm cannon bullets, incendiary bombs or  _Iron Lizard_  class missiles. The  _Iron Lizards_  were invented by Fiona and me, and look like toy cars: they advance on the ground until hitting some target, their charge can be a plasma bomb or an acid capsule, and some can be guided."

Tower: [by means of a hologram] "Let's talk about the upcoming missions. [to Amadeus] We received a request for help from the King of Mercia: you and your team already have a mission. The Finitevics are occupying territory in the Center-East of their Kingdom, more precisely, between the Duchy of the Jura and the Princedom of the Main; they're using a captured train line to transport supplies throughout the occupied territory, and the train line is heavily protected."

Amadeus: "And the King wants us to throw out the Finitevic troops guarding the train line, to prevent them from obtaining supplies... A very intelligent decision. Send my congratulations to  _His Majesty_."

Tower: [by means of a hologram] "But... Will you and your team accept this mission?"

The war veteran fox looks at his three comrades, and they look at each other and nod silently.

Amadeus: [to Tower] "We gladly accept the mission."

Tails: [by means of a hologram] "If you need it, I can call more people to help you. [looks hopefully at Fiona] I have a list of friends that can be very helpful."

Fiona: [shyly] "Thanks, Miles, but we don't need reinforcements for now. Maybe in another mission."

The two-tailed fox, distressed, remains watching Fiona while she and the other three members of the team walk away. Meanwhile, without anyone seeing them, Rouge gently taps Fiona with the elbow and approaches to speak to her in the ear.

Rouge: [whispering] "I saw how you were blushing."

Fiona: [whispering, nervous] "Rouge, shut up, please-"

Rouge: [whispering] "C'mon, Fiona... You can tell me, I ain't gonna judge you."

Fiona: [whispering, in a cutting voice] "Not now, Rouge. We have a mission."

* * *

Finally, the train arrives at Empire City at 10:00 AM. Amadeus' team prepares everything necessary for the mission, and at 12:00 AM, they take a cargo plane to the North-Northeast, towards the rural area of the Duchy of the Jura.


	6. Chapter 5: Traveling around Eurish by train, Part 2.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once they reach East Mercia, Amadeus and his team will have to fulfill their new mission in a place where no one would have ever imagined having to carry it out.  
> In addition, from now on, not only will they have to kick the asses of Finitevus and his new army: they'll also have to recover the war machines invented by Tails, so that the maniacal leader does not discover their secrets or take advantage of them.

In the Kingdom of Mercia, Snottingham is no longer the only important city: the United Federation initiated a plan of economic aid for any country that has been victim of both Robotnik War; with the assumption of Rob O'Hedge and Mari-An in Mercia, this mobian Kingdom resorted to that plan, and the Kings used the money to encourage the development and modernization of the other regions besides Snottingham, regions inhabited by other peoples that had also been part of the Kingdom since its founding. For example, in the Center-East of the Kingdom, a train line had been built, and now this train line crosses the national territory in a North-South direction, starting in Hessen am Main (capital of the Princedom of the Main) and going to Rhône (capital of the Duchy of the Jura).

However, this train line has been captured by the Finitevic Army, more precisely, by former soldiers of GUN: Finitevus had paid them enough to commit treason and steal  _Prower Slug_  units without hesitation. At the same time, the albino equidna managed to brainwash Hugo Brass, Grandmaster of Eurish's chapter of the Dark Egg-Legion; Brass, brainwashed for the second time, ordered his Special Ops team, the Paladin Team Sigma-Alpha-2 (named  _Egg-Paladins_  since the robotic dictator brainwashed them for the first time and put them under his command), to donate to Finitevus all the heavy weapons that Eggman had given them. Now, the bribed soldiers of GUN are installed along the entire route of the trains, and they possess the weapons lent by Eurish's chapter of the DEL.

* * *

It's 1:00 PM, both in Mercia and in Empire City. Somewhere in the rural area of the Duchy of the Jura, there are several trees, some huts and a windmill, and there are also vineyards a couple of kilometers away; next to the mill, there are two railways: in one of them there's an old steam locomotive, and in the other way, an empty freight train is stopped. The sky has a few small clouds, and despite being full winter, the weather is barely fresh in this region. To the East there are mountains, from where the rivers whose waters make this region so fertile go down.

Some five soldiers, previously belonging to GUN but now faithful to Finitevus, are guarding the empty freight train... Actually, they're so relaxed that they seem not to be guarding anything: in one of the empty wagons there's a soldier resting on a deck chair while taking a drink, and on the ground there are two other soldiers chatting sitting next to a campfire. There are also some non-mobian sparrows going through that area, and their singing adds a nice natural melody to that environment.

None of the train's soldiers or sparrows realize that four paratroopers are quietly landing in the vineyards. Soon after, the four of them leave there and hide among the trees, near the train tracks: they're Amadeus Prower, Fiona Fox, Antoine D'Coolette and Rouge Bates. They wear the same uniforms as in the previous mission, and they also carry quite full backpacks, except in the case of Rouge.

Rouge: [whispering] "Tell us,  _Marshal_ : How do you plan to make us accomplish this mission?"

The war veteran thinks for a few seconds.

Amadeus: [whispering] "Well... I guess we will accomplish this mission in the old way."

* * *

_BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!_

[ **Soundtrack:**   _Living on the deck_  –  **Metal Slug 2/X OST** ]

The four mobians break into the place that the Finitevic soldiers were "guarding". Humans don't even have time to respond: all of them are shot down by that commando group.

Rouge: "Have you gone insane, Marshal?!"

Amadeus: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

The foursome starts to move from wagon to wagon, all of them empty. Half a minute after they've climbed onto the freight train, the horn sounds and the train starts moving slowly towards the Princedom of the Main. A few seconds later, the mobians arrived at a couple of wagons with non-perishable food, which were being guarded by more soldiers; they're armed with pistols and grenades, and several of them use metal doors as improvised shields; there are also some motorcycles running next to the train, and each of them has a sidecar from where a soldier tries to shoot with an RPG-7.

Amadeus: [in a low voice, by using communicator] "It's time to use the new weapons."

He and Fiona take out of their backpacks weapons similar to sawed-off shotguns: they're quite large, and they seem to be technologically more advanced. A soldier tries to shoot them with his pistol while keeping behind his improvised shield, but Tails' father shoots: the shotgun's ammo consists of about 200 laser beams that cover a wide area and pierce everything in their path, including the unfortunate soldier and his shield, which are converted into an amorphous mass of flesh, blood and pieces of metal sheet. The rest of the humans try to throw themselves at the commando group, and the motorcycle soldiers try to shoot them with their rocket launchers, but the two foxes annihilate everyone who approaches, including the motorcycles with sidecar and their occupants.

The following train cars have nothing, but there are two tanks waiting there: they look a lot like the tank that Amy Rose was fighting in Moebotropolis, they're quite big and light brown, and each one is equipped with a 155mm smoothbore cannon, capable of firing three bullets in a row, but so large that it doesn't allow the turret's rotation. However, the two tanks are one behind the other, the train is narrow, and the rear tank can't fire without destroying the forward tank.

Amadeus: [to Rouge, in a low voice, by using communicator] "That's what I was looking for: they don't have space to attack all at the same time, so we can move forward and destroy them one by one. I told you it would work."

One of these sturdy tanks is about to shoot them, but the  _Marshal_  and Fiona crouch right in front of the tank; using their "laser shotguns", they shoot at it at the same time...

_**BOOM!** _

And the tank becomes practically a mountain of smoking scrap. The tank's driver, still alive surprisingly, leaves by the turret's hatch and tries to shoot to the foxes with an RPG-7, but Rouge shoots to him with her pistols from the air. Then, the other tank prepares to fire, but Antoine shoots him accurately into the cannon's mouth with an explosive arrow...

_**BOOM!** _

And the tank almost disappears due to the explosion.

Antoine: "I must admit: it doesn't take a lot of aiming to shoot at such a large cannon."

Then, four paratroopers, ex-members of GUN, fall from a cargo plane and prepare to shoot the mobians using portable rocket launchers; at the same time, the path is completely blocked by a tank, more precisely, one of those "wall with wheels" tanks that Nephthys' army had used to defend Jordan City. For a few seconds, the commando group seems to be cornered, but responds quickly: Antoine shoots a diamond-tipped arrow at the paratroopers, and this arrow pierces two of them when it goes up and pierces the other two when it comes back down; on the other hand, Rouge takes out a miniature rocket launcher from Amadeus' backpack, takes off and shoots at the cannon of the "wall with wheels", destroying it.

The train accelerates and then starts to move parallel to the edge of a wide river. Some buildings can be seen on the opposite edge of that river. Meanwhile, the mobians arrive at a couple of wagons with containers, but some soldiers are waiting for them on the roofs of these containers; Antoine shoots an arrow with a pepper gas bomb, and it explodes on the roof of the first container, where there's a soldier with an old Thompson machine gun with laser ammo, another soldier with an improvised shield and two soldiers armed with an RPG-7 each; as the train advances, the cloud of pepper gas is left behind, but the four humans can no longer see and have an unbearable burning in the eyes, falling into the river as a result.

The commandos climb onto the train's roof and meet with another group of four ex-soldiers of GUN on the next container's roof; Amadeus uses his laser shotgun to kill the armored soldier, and before the other three can react, Antoine traverses them with a diamond-tipped arrow.

Then, the commando group gets out of that container and goes to the next wagon, which is empty, while the train arrives at a dam and takes the railway track installed on its edge. Two turboprop fighters, stolen from the Battle Bird Armada, approach the train and fire missiles; Fiona shoots an EM-pulse, deactivating the missiles and also the planes, which end up crashing into the river. Then, a boat approaches them, and Antoine shoots an common arrow at the pilot; the latter dies, but the boat continues to operate and fires a cruise missile from each side, so, the coyote uses guided arrows to destroy the two missiles and the boat. Later, two other boats appear and immediately start to shoot cruise missiles; the coyote shoots his guided arrows at the missiles, Rouge shoots the pilots from the air, and finally the two boats are destroyed by Antoine's arrows.

After crossing the dam, the train starts to move parallel to the other side of the river while starting to approach another city. The mobians arrive at the locomotive, but a small unmanned airship drops a "metal claw" tank on the roof: the front of that "metal claw" tank is protected by a shield with huge spikes, and it shoots guided missiles. Antoine fires guided arrows at the missiles as the tank fires them, and Amadeus, keeping the distance, throws his modified saber; the saber crosses the armor and kills the tank's driver, and then Fiona destroys the vehicle by a lightning. To the amazement of others, the  _Marshal_ 's saber doesn't suffer any damage in the explosion, and he recovers it.

The mobians advance through the passageway on the side of the locomotive, and they find another train, which is using the same railway line and is just ahead of them.

Fiona: "Finitevus hired people more stupid than they look, even more stupid than Scourge or Eggman. Who would think to make two trains travel in this way in the same railway?"

They jump to the last wagon of the next train, but they're surprised by a  _stealthbot+_  drone. This variant has a more resistant fuselage painted red, is protected against EM-pulses, and drops small but still lethal particle bombs in groups of six. When trying to avoid the bombings, they're forced to jump from the previous train's locomotive to the next train's last wagon and vice versa.

Antoine: " _Ouah_... Someone has been working hard to improve these drones of the old Robotnik, after we destroyed them all."

Rouge: "Tony, focus, goddammit!"

Almost as an answer to the she-bat's attention call, the coyote makes a hole in the armor using arrows with acid bombs, and Fiona shoots her "Taser-Fist" at the hole, deactivating and knocking down the stealthbot+.

They continue advancing, but a gunship positions itself at a scant height of five meters with respect to the train and it starts to move sideways, staying just above the mobians while the train keeps moving. There's a tank mounted on each wing of the gunship, and these tanks start to shoot, dropping the bullets towards the commando group, which tries to dodge the shots.

The plane immediately uses its vertical takeoff and landing system to generate jets of hot gases in an attempt to incinerate the mobians, and the crew drop one of the tanks, which begins to fall right in front of them while the plane is also going forward; so as not to be crushed or charred, the four use their weapons at the same time to quickly destroy the tank before it falls to the wagon's floor: Amadeus uses his laser shotgun, Antoine shoots explosive arrows, Fiona fires lightning bolts at the fuel tank, and Rouge uses the portable rocket launcher. The tank is destroyed and the mobians advance, bypassing the column of fire from the turbines; but soon they have to back down, because the plane retreats and tries to use its turbines to burn them from the front while the crew members start pushing the other tank to drop it as well.

Antoine:  _Mes_  arrows don't work! They're destroyed by those fire jets before they can hit the target!"

Rouge: "I have a plan! Let's destroy that tank first!"

The tank starts to fall, but the mobians destroy it immediately and then back away, avoiding the fire jet again. Then the engines return to their normal power to charge a new attack.

Rouge: "TO THE TURBINES! NOW!"

The coyote shoots at one of the turbines with an acid arrow that makes a hole in the side of the armor, and then he shoots an explosive arrow into the hole and destroys the engine.

_**BOOM!** _

Amadeus throws an acid bomb into the other turbine, and then throws a strange grenade into the hole already made; this grenade explodes as soon as it hits the target, and the other engine is also destroyed.

_**BOOM!** _

The severely damaged gunship slowly moves away from the train, and finally crashes into the river and explodes shortly afterwards.

_**KA-BOOM!** _

Antoine: " _Bons_  throwings,  _Marshal_. If you played baseball, Sonic would envy you."

The mobians arrive at the first of three passenger wagons; these wagons are very broken, dirty and rusted, their windows are broken, and their doors and several of their windows are boarded up. On the wagons' roofs, there are also ex-soldiers of GUN: in each wagon, one is protected behind a metal sheet door, two others are armed with laser rifles and hide behind the vents of the wagons, and one protects himself behind the armored soldier while operating a small but dangerous and unpredictable plasma mortar. The four commandos stay next to the boarded-up door of the wagon, to avoid that the mortar bullets reach them.

Antoine: [in a low voice, by using communicator] " _Je_  cannot use arrows. I'd be pointing up,  _et_  they could fall on our own heads."

Amadeus: [in a low voice, by using communicator] "Let's use grenades."

Then, the four mobians start to throw their grenades towards the roof of the first wagon, killing the armored soldier and the one who was using the mortar. Now that plasma bullets are not falling from above, Antoine steps away from the door and shoots an arrow with pepper gas bomb. To the surprise of the remaining soldiers of the first wagon, the arrow flies over their heads and hits the roof of the second wagon; as the train advances, the pepper gas cloud envelops the soldiers of the second wagon and then invades those who remain in the first.

Fiona: "Good shot, Antoine."

When the soldiers of the first two wagons fall into the water, the commando group begins to walk on the roofs. The third wagon's soldiers can't react when Antoine throws a rain of arrows in a single shot; the armored soldier manages to use his metal gate to stop the arrows, but these were actually ordinary arrows; while they're distracted, Fiona makes a somersault jump and shoots them from above with her laser shotgun, and when landing between the two soldiers armed with laser rifles, she knocks them both quickly by hitting them with the shotgun's butt, and then she throws them into the river.

The other three mobians jump to the third wagon and continue to advance, but they're surprised when a plasma bullet, fired by a mortar, falls right in front of them.

There are about six soldiers in the next wagon: they're two armored, two operating mortars, and two armed with laser rifles; they're guarding a  _Super Tornado_  with the cockpit open and a  _Prower Slug Mk 2_  in a "crouched" position.

Fiona: [in a low voice, by using communicator] "There are stolen vehicles there. Remember: we must recover them, no matter what."

Amadeus steps back, gets off the roof, removes the boards that keep the passenger wagon's door closed, enters it, removes half of his body through a window and surprises the soldiers by throwing a pepper gas bomb. Then the fox gets back into the train quickly, dodging the gas cloud before it affects him as the train advances. When the soldiers have fallen into the river and the pepper gas has already dispersed, the other three mobians also get off the passenger wagon's roof and go to the next one, and then they remove the boards from the door to allow the  _Marshal_  to get out.

Fiona: "Tony, you can drive the  _Prower Slug_. I'll pilot the  _Super Tornado_."

The vixen enters the cockpit of the small and versatile jet fighter, and she takes off immediately; the coyote enters the cabin of the lower half of the tank, and when it returns to its normal position, he finds the whole tank is automated and can be controlled only by him, and the environment inside the cabin is cooler and more comfortable. Both mobians use their vehicles to take the lead while Amadeus runs after them and Rouge continues to fly.

Soon after, a missile launcher crosses their path, but Antoine uses his  _Prower Slug_  to jump high; when it reaches its maximum height, he fires with the main cannon, and the cannon bullet hits the exit hole of the missile launcher just as the missile is launched; this missile explodes inside the vehicle and causes all the ammo to explode as well, and the vehicle is destroyed.

Two or three wagons after the destroyed missile launcher, a "metal claw" tank prepares to fire, but Fiona fires a rocket from her  _Super Tornado_ , destroying the "metal claw" in a tiny fraction of a second.

Rouge: [by using communicator] "Get ready, Fiona. More planes coming."

Indeed, two turboprop fighters come down from the air, decelerate and get closer and closer to them. At the same time, two other fighters accelerate and approach from behind, and three others approach from the front as well, following the first two.

Antoine: [from inside the tank, by using communicator] " _Je_  can take care of those in front. Take care of those in the back,  _compagnons_."

Rouge: [by using communicator] "Are you sure?"

Antoine: [from inside the tank, by using communicator] "Just look at this."

Then, the coyote's  _Prower Slug_  jumps and fires its main cannon, and the bullet destroys one of the first two planes that approached from the front, even when that plane was several meters high with respect to the wagon's floor; then the tank jumps again, fires its cannon and destroys the other plane. The next three fighters approaching from the front run to the sides to avoid the bullets.

Meanwhile, Rouge shoots her pistols at the two fighters approaching from behind and she makes them follow; Fiona stops her  _Super Tornado_ , leaving it behind the turboprop fighters, and she destroys one of them with a rocket; then she chases the other and shoots it with the laser Gatling gun while Rouge deviates, and finally the other fighter is destroyed.

The last three fighters manage to approach, and each one fires a guided missile, but Antoine uses the gun pods of his tank to fire guided missiles that manage to intercept the aircrafts' missiles; then the  _Prower Slug_  jumps again and destroys one of the planes with a cannon shot. Another plane approaches the wagon's floor to try to attack the tank from below and from the side, but Amadeus takes advantage of this and uses his laser shotgun to attack the plane by surprise, firing directly at the pilot himself, who ends up torn apart inside the cockpit.

With almost all the planes destroyed, the only survivor escapes.

Fiona: [makes the  _Super Tornado_  land, opens the cabin and pokes her head] " _Hasta la vista_ , you morons!"

Antoine: [makes the  _Prower Slug_  crouch, opens the hatch and pokes his head] "We're near Hessen am Main."

The train moves away from the river and enters a long tunnel. When it returns to the surface, the mobians are stunned: Darmstadt am Main, a city a few tens of kilometers from the capital of the Princedom of the Main, is engulfed in flames. The train starts to move along a railway installed about one hundred meters high.

Fiona: [still shocked as she watches the burning buildings around her and below her] "What the fuck happened here?"

[ **Soundtrack:**   _Invasion_  –  **Metal Slug Attack OST** ]

As if answering her question, a mech of enormous dimensions, stolen from Eggman and modified by Finitevus, comes down from the sky and perches on the train, in front of the commando group. It's an Octopus-Bot: modeled after an octopus, it has a red cup-shaped cockpit with a wide lower section as a head; it also has ten grey tentacles hanging below the head, and a small beak on its undercarriage; the head has a round and yellow "mouth" on the front resembling a barrel, and a yellow vent on each side; next to each vent, there are three wide, short tubes pointing upwards; Finitevus had also added a second "mouth", similar to the first but narrower, longer and mounted above the head; the Octopus-Bot's tentacles are flat and segmented with yellow joints and spikes; covering the cockpit are small yellow spikes.

In the cockpit of the modified Octopus-Bot, there's Hugo Brass himself: he's a muscular human of dark complexion, with brown eyes, his head shaved and a thorny black beard; it has a red jumpsuit with white edges and with light brown broad shoulder pads; originally, a red insignia of the Eggman Empire had been drawn on the front of the left shoulder pad, but now a black X is superimposed over this insignia, while the right shoulder pad now has the acronym GFA ["Great Finitevic Army"] written in black; the Legionization has affected his two arms, his left eye and the left half of his skull, and he also has a sort of small metallic crest on the top of his head, just above the boundary between the legionized half and the organic half.

The former leader of GUN, who has already been brainwashed by two different villains, speaks to the four mobians by a megaphone.

Hugo Brass: [in an apparently emotionless tone] "Hail the Great Finitevic Army."

Fiona: "I can't believe it! Now Finitevus also hired this brainwashed idiot?! Winning that maniac echidna will be easier than we thought.!"

Antoine: "Don't let your guard down! ¡Robotnik  _et_  Eggman were  _aussi_  maniac idiots,  _mais_  remember how much we fought to beat them!"

Ignoring the coyote, the vixen gets into the cockpit of the  _Super Tornado_ , makes it take off and starts firing missiles at the Octopus-Bot, but these attacks don't even make a scratch; the giant mech responds to the attack: by the additional "mouth" mounted on top of the cockpit, it shows a variant of Gatling gun that is also giant, and the machine gun shoots a series of bullets at everything in front of him, in an arc from the sky to the floor of the wagons. Rouge and the  _Super Tornado_  fly sideways, Amadeus manages to slide on the ground and dodge a bullet's trajectory, and Antoine's  _Prower Slug_  is hit by some bullets but these barely hurt it. Then Amadeus tries to get under the mech, but this immediately reveals a flamethrower turret that almost burns him alive; the  _Marshal_  steps back, but the  _Prower Slug_  advances resisting the heat.

_PUM!_

_**BOOM!** _

With the flamethrower destroyed by the  _Prower Slug_ 's cannon, the Octopus-Bot expels air through the vents on the sides. Fiona sees it and contacts Antoine.

Fiona: [from inside the  _Súper Tornado_ , by using communicator, desperate] "TONY! BACK OFF! GET OUTTA THERE!  **NOW!** "

The coyote immediately makes the tank go backwards. Suddenly, the mech lets itself fall to crush him, but it fails and the  _Prower Slug_  remains in one piece.

Antoine: [from inside the  _Prower Slug_ , by using communicator] " _Merci beaucoup_ , Fiona. That was a close one."

Amadeus: [by using communicator] "Save your thanks for later! Let's finish this mission!"

The Octopus-Bot stays crouched and starts firing fireballs through the short and wide "mouth" on its front. Amadeus moves away but each new shot is aimed at him, so he's forced to run from one place to another as quickly as possible; He manages to dodge the fireballs, but by very little. Meanwhile, Fiona and Rouge try to shoot at the Octopus-Bot, but the fireballs fired by the mech itself prevent its shots from reaching the windshield, and the rest of the cockpit is very well protected even against the missiles of the  _Super Tornado_.

Then, Antoine makes his  _Prower Slug_  accelerate and advance at full speed towards the crouched Octopus-Bot's cockpit. A fireball hits the tank's armor, but it breaks into pieces and the tank has just a few flames covering it and some small dents. Before the mech can fire again, the tank jumps, shoots directly at the "mouth" of the fireball cannon and disables the weapon, but the coyote doesn't give up. When the tank lands directly in front of the Octopus-Bot's cockpit, the tank is with the front wheels resting on the cockpit's wall...

_PUM!_

And the cannon shoots at the windshield and destroys it.

_**BOOM!** _

Inside the cockpit, Hugo Brass almost died from the cannon, but he recovers and flees towards an escape pod. While this pod shoots skyward, the mech gets back off the floor of the wagon, allowing Antoine's tank to fall to the floor and return to its normal position, and it begins to have small explosions everywhere while a sequence of self-destruction starts.

Amadeus: [by using communicator] "Let's run under the mech! Quickly!"

He and the  _Prower Slug_  advance under the Octopus-Bot as the train also moves forward and the mech stays in its place; instead, Rouge and the  _Super Tornado_  fly above it.

Finally, the Octopus-Bot falls off the side of the railway...

_**KA-BOOM!** _

And it explodes when crashing against the same buildings destroyed and burned by its own attacks.

Rouge lands on the wagon's floor, the  _Super Tornado_  does the same and Fiona gets off it, and Antoine makes the  _Prower Slug_  crouch and leaves it jumping through its cabin's hatch.

Antoine: "For that deadly robot, a well-deserved end."

The commando group stands still, observing the city engulfed in flames; It's 1:30 PM, but with the smoke generated and the intense light emitted by the fire, it seems almost at night. As much as the Octopus-Bot has been destroyed and the Finitevics are expelled from Mercia, the mobians see no reason to celebrate. Now that the battle is over, the four of them, including Rouge, are consumed from within by a horrible sensation.

Like the guilt for have been late to something very important. But much more intense.

Rouge: [tries to break the silence] "What will... what will be our next destination?"

The  _Marshal_  takes a laptop out of his backpack, and he connects to GUN's secret data network.

Amadeus: "The city-state of Chun-Nan, in the Mobian Far East."

Fiona: "When we get to Hessen am Main, we will take a train to Soleanna, and then we will board a ship that will cross the Emerald Sea and take us to Chun-Nan, okay?"

Antoine: " _D'accord_.  _Mais_  before taking the train to Soleanna, we would have to contact GUN's Headquarters, and also the Kings of Mercia... [contemplates again the burnt ruins of Darmstadt am Main] *sigh* Telling Rob and Mari-An about this will not be easy."

* * *

New Mobotropolis. 8:00 AM, Local Time, 2:00 PM, Mercia and Empire City Time.

Sonic and his family are having breakfast in one of the many huts in the city; next to the table, Muttski, the non-mobian dog that is the family's pet, has just finished eating the balanced food of its plate. Unfortunately, Jules is still robian: he's metallic blue with some silver parts, and in the front of his head has a sort of bunch of flexible metal strands similar to hair. On the other hand, the rest of the Hedgehog family is organic again: Bernadette has blue fur, blond hair on the front of her head, and blue eyes; Uncle Chuck has grayish-blue fur, dark brown eyes and an elegant gray-haired mustache, and Muttski is yellowish-white fur with brown spots.

On this occasion, Tails is a guest of Sonic's family, and he's having breakfast with them and telling them about the mission in Moebius. The serious injuries resulting from his fight with Hyper Scourge are still very visible, and his right eye is still covered.

Sonic: "So that's what Anti-Tails told you when you two were talking alone."

Tails: "Yes, but don't tell anyone else: I think he really doesn't deserve to be embarrassed."

Bernadette: "And what are you planning to do with Fiona? Will you try to fix things with her?"

Tails: "Well... I have my doubts: I'd like to try again, and I'm still worrying about her; but she made a decision, and if I don't respect her and I insist that we become a couple again, I might look like a stalker and I'd end up pushing her away from me even more. Also, I still dunno exactly why she broke up with me... although I do remember very well the day it happened."

* * *

[Little more than a week ago...]

After being discharged from the hospital, Tails returns to his workshop, but encounters a disturbing surprise: Fiona is packing her belongings, she's preparing to leave.

During the last week, his girlfriend had a weird behavior: they weren't making love anymore, she was helping her boyfriend very little in his work in the workshop, she was dedicating much more time to her work as a nurse in the hospital, they were talking less than before, and so on. However, the two-tailed fox took it for granted that all this was just an effect of his girlfriend's menstruation.

It's clear he has been wrong.

"Fiona, what are you-?"

"I'm sorry, Miles." *snif*

It seems she has been crying... a lot.

"I can't take it anymore." Fiona says to Tails without looking at him, while she continues putting together her luggage.

"Please, explain to me what's happening-"

"It's very complicated, I couldn't tell you."

She grabs a bag full of things and leaves the workshop immediately, almost ignoring Tails.

"Put me to the test." He answers Fiona, but she doesn't react and keeps walking. The child prodigy usually has a lot of patience, but this causes it to be totally exhausted.

"FIONA! STOP TREATING ME LIKE A CHILD AND ANSWER ME, FUCK!"

Half a second after shouting at Fiona, Tails realizes he has just done something unforgivable, something he had sworn never to do: he had mistreated her. Now, he begins to feel as if his heart has gone up his throat.

On the other hand, the red vixen stands still in the place, with her back to Tails, until she slowly turns around and looks at her boyfriend sideways.

*snif* "You're right, it's something very simple: we're no longer a couple."

"W- What?! But what did I do wrong?! Tell me, please!"

"You did everything right, Miles... *snif* But ours was doomed to fail. There was nothing either of us could do about it. *sob* I'm sorry, Miles. I'm really sorry... for everything..."

And then Fiona leaves just like that, while Tails simply watches silently how she disappears on the horizon.

* * *

Just a few minutes later, Fiona leaves on a flight to Shamar to work as an Honorary Agent of GUN in the mission of  _Field Marshal_  Amadeus Prower. As soon as Tails finds out about this, he makes a holo-call to his father.

_"Hey, son! What-? Miles... Were you crying?"_

"Dad..." Judging from the  _Marshal_ 's son's voice, he has actually been crying. "I broke up with Fiona..."

_"What? I'm deeply sorry... I wish I could be there, really-"_

"Do me a favor."

_"Huh... Whatever you want."_

"Fiona is going on a flight to Shamar right now, she's gonna help you on your mission. Don't talk to her about this or about me, nor do you try to convince her to come back with me. You  **must**  respect her decision, and she doesn't seem to be well, so she doesn't deserve you to worry her even more."

_"Got it: I must keep my mouth shut."_

"One could say yes."

_"Okay, I'll do what you say... But are you sure about this? Don't you want me to-?"_

**"DAD!"**

_"Okay, okay, you're right... We will not bother her, we will let her think about this calmly."_

"Goodbye, Dad."

_"Goodbye, son. I'll return with you as soon as possible, I swear."_

"It ain't necessary. I'll be fine."

* * *

[Going back to the present ...]

_KNOCK KNOCK_

Tails: "Just a moment, please! [to Sonic and his family, as he walks to the door] Going back to the topic... I think I should get over it."

Jules: "Tails, only one week passed. You shouldn't give up."

Tails: "I must think long term and get over this once and for all, Mr Hedgehog. Or do you think it will be reasonable for me to continue regretting my breakup with Fiona after months?"

The two-tailed fox opens the door and meets with a mobian vixen. She has light yellow fur with some white parts, blue eyes, a long, thick mane of the same color predominating in her fur, and a set of crimson clothes that includes: a one-piece dress, which covers her from the neck to the knees but exposes her arm completely; a bracelet on each wrist; an elastic band holding her hair, and a pair of shoes with wide, low heels. She's about twelve years old, has a big smile without showing her teeth, and has three boxes of cookies in her hands.

Tails: "Wow, Zooey... These cookies arrived pretty fast."

Zooey: "Hehe... Thank you."

She hands the boxes of cookies to Tails; but in that moment, Tals' hands (which this time don't wear gloves) accidentally brush those of Zooey. She pulls her hands out quickly, and they both look at each other in silence as they smile slightly.

Tails: "By chance, do you have those carob flour puddings with honey? They were great."

Zooey: "Huh... I would have to ask Perci."

Tails: "Okay... Oh, I almost forgot! The antiparasitic, for Muttski."

Zooey: "Oh... I would also have to ask Perci for that."

Tails: "I get it..."

He leans against the door frame. She looks at him, and then turns around to leave.

Tails: [a little nervous, smiling a little more widely] "And could we go to eat together this weekend?"

Zooey is open-mouthed by this; the same happens to Sonic and his family, and even Muttski looks up from the floor curiously after lying down all the time.

Tails: [more confidently, arching an eyebrow] "Or would you also have to ask Perci?"

Sonic: [to himself, holding back a laugh] "That's how it's done, Tails."


	7. Chapter 6: Personal matters.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before traveling to Soleanna, Amadeus' team will have an important meeting with various allies. Meanwhile, Tails will try to overcome his breakup with Fiona.

The next day...

Hessen am Main, capital of the Princedom of the Main, Kingdom of Mercia. 3:00 PM, Local and Empire City Time.

The sun shines on the picturesque buildings of the neighborhood known as "the Old Town", revealing a cultural richness comparable to that of Spagonia.

Fiona and Rouge are in a hotel, inside a luxury room, resting in a double bed; both are totally naked but their bodies are covered with a sheet. The red vixen is sound asleep after having made love, but the she-bat is awake, sitting on the pillow and using a netbook with a small video camera connected to it; occasionally, Rouge looks at her girlfriend, and then turns her attention back to what she was doing.

_KNOCK KNOCK_

_"Rouge, are you awake?"_

"Yes, Antoine. I'm coming."

The she-bat ends whatever she has been doing, turns off the netbook, disconnects the camera and hides it in a drawer, wears a robe, goes to the door and opens it, meeting with the coyote: he was waiting in the corridor, facing the door.

"What's new?"

"We will have a holo-conference in half an hour,  _mademoiselle_.  _Par hasard_ , do you know where Fiona is? I have to tell her-"

Then, Antoine manages to see Fiona lying on Rouge's bed. The she-bat realizes this.

"Tony, I can explain it-"

" _Non_ ,  _ce n'est pas nécessaire_. I wish you two good luck in your relationship."

Antoine is about to leave, but he remembers what Tails asked him before leaving for Shamar.

_("Try to talk to Fiona about our relationship and our separation. That's the only thing I ask of you. Don't tell her what to do and what not to do, don't act as if you were my spokesperson, etcetera. Just get her to open up and tell you what's going on. **Ask for help from Dad or anyone else if you deem it necessary.**  If you try but you don't achieve anything, don't worry about me: if you've made the attempt at least, I'll not be disappointed in you.")_

"What's the trouble,  _steadfast tin soldier_?"

"Rouge, I need your help for something.  _Mais_  we should talk in private. It would be better if Fiona doesn't listen to us."

* * *

Half a minute later, in another part of the corridor, Rouge and Antoine are talking in low voices.

"So Tails asked you to investigate why Fiona broke up with him."

" _Oui_ ,  _et_  I don't plan to leave that mission unfulfilled.  _Mais_  I'll need your help."

Rouge starts speaking in a... suggestive tone. "I think I can do something more-"

 **"** _ **Non**_ **."**  Antoine immediately cuts her phrase. "We won't try to convince Fiona to return with Tails.  _Il_  has made it  _très_  clear: Fiona's decision must be respected;  _de plus_ ,  _il_  only wants answers."

"You're a killjoy."

" _Merci_ ,  _mademoiselle_."

"Anyway, it's a shame that Fiona has broken with Tails. We two together will find out the reasons for the breakup; however, once that mystery has been resolved, I'll convince Fiona and repair the relationship between those two foxes, and I'll do it with or without your help."

" _Alors_  be careful. Now Fiona trusts  _vous_ ,  _et_  if she discovers you try to give  **her**  to someone else, things are going to get ugly."

* * *

Rouge returns to her room and meets with Fiona, who's still in bed but is already fully awake.

"Hi, Rouge! Is there any news?"

"Nothing important, only we will have a conference in half an hour."

The she-bat approaches Fiona, removes the sheet slowly and begins to brush the vixen's body with her hand.

"While we wait, we could... I dunno... test some toys." Rouge winks at Fiona, who bites her lower lip.

"That sounds like fun..."

* * *

About 25 minutes later...

On the ground floor of the hotel, at the buffet, Antoine and Amadeus are having a coffee. Bow Sparrow is also next to them: this male mobian sparrow, skilled in the use of bow and arrows, was the second-in-command of Rob O'Hedge when they fought as Mercian Freedom Fighters; now Rob is the King, and Bow leads the Royal Guard and is one of the most trusted subordinates of the young monarch; when Rob learned about the mission of the Marshal's team and that they were going to be in Mercia, he booked them the best hotel rooms in Hessen am Main and sent Bow Sparrow to contact them on behalf of the Crown.

Antoine: [to Amadeus] "Perhaps you  _et_   _madame_  Prower have experienced crazy things during your dates... [brings his gaze to Bow]  _mais_  nothing compares to what happened to Bunnie  _et_   _moi_  during our last vacation. I'll tell you..."

* * *

[About five or six days ago...]

[ **Soundtrack:**   _Arrivederci Roma_  –  **Renato Rascel, Pietro Garinei & Sandro Giovannini, version of Claudio Villa**]

It is night in Spagonia, more precisely, in Tevere District. Antoine, dressed in a white shirt and wide black pants, is walking down an alley, carrying a milk container in one hand and a small plate in the other.

After the tense days ended with the Civil War and Sally's rescue, he and Bunnie had decided to enjoy a well-deserved vacation traveling around the world. However, it seems the cyborg rabbit girl wanted to make a dream come true, and her boyfriend agreed to fulfill her desire, naturally.

The coyote arrives at a large open space where an immense water fountain is found, an exact replica of the ancient "Fontana di Trevi" built by humans. A white small non-mobian cat is near the fountain, and Bunnie is walking inside of it, sinking her robotic legs into the water. She's wearing a black low-cut dress, and she also has a fur cape (artificial, of course) on her shoulders.

"Antonio...! Come here..." Bunnie asks her boyfriend, speaking with an accent of Spagonia.

The coyote tries to hold back a laugh. "I'm coming,  _mon cher_."

He takes off his shoes, gets into the fountain with his clothes still on, and approaches Bunnie. Then he caresses her face slowly and gently with one hand while she, smiling, closes her eyes and tilts her head back a little.

"Bunnie?"

"Mhm?"

"Of all the fantasies you could have had, did it just have to be the fantasy of repeating that mythical scene of  _La dolce vita_?"

"So what? I know you're also enjoying this."

The coyote makes a soft laugh.

"You know what?" Bunnie looks at her boyfriend again. "Let's skip all this and move on to the action."

" _Es-tu sûr_? If someone sees us  **doing it**  here, in this real monument to the ancient human civilization, we could get into serious trouble."

"I'll take the risk. And you?"

" _Eh bien_ , I've taken even bigger risks at other times,  _alors_...  _Oui_ , let's do it once and for all."

Both start to kiss passionately, and they also try to take off each other's clothes...

_Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash!_

The couple is interrupted by four individuals landing around them after apparently having fallen from the sky. The she-cyborg and the soldier look up and see how four green luminous portals close above them; then, they look down and see four known moebians coming out of the water: they're Alicia Acorn, Miles Prower, Patch D'Coolette and Boomer Walrus.

Bunnie starts to get mad. "You better have a good reason to come here and bother us-"

"We need your help" The then Princess of Moebius interrupts the rabbit girl. "We wanna take Scourge out of Moebius' throne."

* * *

[Going back to the present, at the hotel's buffet in Hessen am Main...]

Antoine: " _Et_  that's how we got into that mission in Moebius."

When the coyote finishes his story, Rouge and Fiona enter the buffet and stand with the three mobians. Both are dressed in their usual uniforms.

Fiona: "Are you all ready for the conference?"

* * *

Fiona: "Sally?"

Antoine: "What happened to Tails?"

In a large enclosed room within the complex of the  _Römer of Mercia_ , the seat of government of the Prince of the Main, a group of Mobians are gathered: Fiona, Antoine, Rouge, Amadeus and Bow Sparrow. There are also people talking by means of holograms: Sally Acorn is speaking from New Mobotropolis, where it's just 9:00 AM, and Commander Tower is communicating from GUN's HQ, where it's 2:00 PM.

Sally: [by means of a hologram] "Tails is fine, don't worry. He's busy with something, some machine surely."

Fiona: [whispers in Rouge's ear] "She's lying. She's hiding something."

Sally: [by means of a hologram] "However, he asked me to tell you some things he discovered. First of all, Finitevus had completely emptied Moebius' Royal Coffers to pay all his subordinates. Actually, Tails didn't need to go very far to find out it: the  _Empress_  Alicia of Moebius broke into our Headquarters to demand that we torture and hang Finitevus as revenge for having left her empire in an economic crisis."

Antoine: "Understood. Thank Tails for our part."

Suddenly, Merlin Prower, Tails' sorcerer uncle, appears next to Sally, scaring her.

Merlín: [by means of a hologram] "Good afternoon, princess."

Sally: [by means of a hologram, recovering from the fright] "Mr Prower, was that really necessary?"

Amadeus: "Hello, brother... Do you still have that taste for the dramatic?"

Merlín: [by means of a hologram] "And are you still so stubborn?"

The Prower brothers laugh and are about to give each other a hug, but they realize they're communicating by means of holograms.

Amadeus: [embarrased] "Well... We will meet again."

Merlín: [by means of a hologram] "Surely yes. [to Sally] Princess-"

Sally: [by means of a hologram] "Oh, stop calling me "princess" once and for all, please."

Merlín: [by means of a hologram, riéndose suavemente] "It's okay, Sally... I have information about Finitevus: he has opened a portal to a pocket universe very similar to the already disappeared 'Zone of Silence'."

Amadeus: "That 'Zone of Silence' was the dimension where Max and Naugus were forcibly exiled by Robotnik, right?"

Merlín: [by means of a hologram] "Yes, but the original 'Zone of Silence' was re-formed as the 'Special Zone'; this new pocket universe of which I'm speaking was constructed in the image and likeness of it. When Finitevus opened a portal to that universe, I detected residual energy of Ixian magic."

Antoine: "Naugus."

Merlín: [by means of a hologram] "However, Finitevus got someone out of there, and that individual was neither Max nor Naugus. I heard it was a reinforcement for that ' Great Finitevic Army", but then I had to escape so that they didn't know of my existence, so I couldn't find out who exactly that reinforcement was. Just in case, be very careful during the next missions."

Amadeus: "Don't worry about us, brother. Danger makes me laugh, you know."

Antoine: [rolls his eyes] " _Oui_ ,  _je_  had said the same thing once... [sounds somewhat depressed]  _Et_   _je_  was about to be crushed by a huge gear of a generator a few seconds later. [to Sally] You remember it  _très bien_."

Sally: [by means of a hologram] "Ant, stop thinking about those things. You were someone very different at that time. Anyway... I have other things to tell you, but I'd need Commander Tower and Bow Sparrow to leave. It's a private matter."

Bow Sparrow: "No problem." [leaves the room]

Tower: [by means of a hologram] "I'll be waiting." [his hologram disappears]

Rouge: "I think I should leave too."

Sally: [by means of a hologram] "No need, Agent Rouge. In fact, I think you'd prefer to hear this. It's about the Civil War."

Everyone immediately becomes absolutely silent.

Fiona: [breaks the silence] "What happens with that?"

Sally: [by means of a hologram] "The same day that Alicia 'visited' us because Finitevus stole all the money from her castle, Miles Prower of Moebius also came with her, but to share with us something he found out about Scourge: that green hedgehog had already hired Finitevus only a few days after he had usurped the throne of his homeworld, and both planned Scourge's visit to New Mobotropolis, that same visit in which the AFFs tried to stop him."

Antoine: *sigh* [sounds depressed again] "How can I forget it?"

Sally: [by means of a hologram] "Scourge and Finitevus had planned to take advantage of the disagreements we already had with each other for some time, and thus cause the Civil War for us to kill each other."

Everyone is silent again, looking at each other.

Amadeus: [holds his head with one hand] "I was a big asshole. I almost made my whole family and tens of thousands of soldiers lose their lives because of this, and about 500 soldiers of my side actually perished because of my stupidity."

Merlín: [by means of a hologram] "Don't blame yourself, brother. None of you had to know. Scourge and that maniac echidna had planned all this."

Sally: [by means of a hologram] "We were all big assholes, we were all manipulated by those two from the beginning, and in our side it also happened exactly the same as yours. Besides, you, your allies and your subordinates fought for a good cause and with conviction. That ain't very common, believe me."

Antoine: [cordially] "You didn't fight so bad either."

Rouge: "By the way, how did you resolve your differences after the Civil War? Within the Team Dark, Shadow and I still don't get along very well with Hope, and in the case of Shadow, he seems quite affected."

Amadeus: "The AFFs rejoined the KFFs, but Sally also made changes within the team."

Sally: [by means of a hologram] "Amadeus Prower's team didn't have an official leader: they made decisions together, they were all equal, even Amadeus himself. I've not been able to fully reproduce that form of organization within the KFFs, but I was able to take some things into account: now, I take responsibility for my team's actions, but we make all the decisions together, and I'm being more flexible and I'm no longer the absolute leader of the team. So far, it's working great-"

_RIIIIING! RIIIIING!_

Sally's cell phone starts ringing.

Sally: [by means of a hologram] "Just a moment... [answers the phone] Hello? Hey, Rotor! How can I help-? Are you saying the Council wanna judge me for... what? But who came up with-?! Oh, of course, I thought so... When-? Tomorrow? Okay- At 7:30 AM?! Jeez, that guy does have anger for me... Yeah, I wish you luck too. See you." [hangs up the phone]

Antoine: "What's going on?"

Sally: [by means of a hologram] "Do you remember Hamlin?"

Antoine: " _Oui_ ,  _bien sûr_. Does he want to make you a political judgment?"

Rouge: "Wow... You think really fast,  _steadfast tin soldier_. [Rouge's nickname to Antoine makes everyone try to hold back a laugh] Right now I'm watching you, and I'm already imagining what Tails will be like in a few years."

The she-bat looks at her girlfriend and makes a mocking smile, to which the vixen responds by looking to the side.

Sally: [by means of a hologram] "Hamlin is accusing me of treason. [to Amadeus, Fiona and Rouge] You see... When the MSS asked us for help to dethrone Scourge, we asked the Council for permission: while Rotor and Chuck supported us, the other Councilors opposed saying we should focus all our efforts on doing away with what little remained of the Eggman Empire. In the end, we had to disobey the Council and carry out the campaign to dethrone Scourge."

Fiona: "Wait a second: Only Chuck and Rotor were in favor of attacking Moebius? Does that mean that...?"

Amadeus: [somewhat disturbed] "My wife was against."

Sally: [by means of a hologram] "Actually, the one who initially opposed my idea was Hamlin: he hates me because I didn't let him become a full member of the KFFs, and he wants the team to be under the control of the Council... Rather, under  **his**  control. On the other hand, Rosemary argued Eggman was still very dangerous and he could resurface at any moment, so we had to end his Empire before he even had an opportunity to respond; it wasn't a bad idea, but she should have already known very well how dangerous Scourge is."

Merlín: [by means of a hologram] "My sister-in-law can be quite stubborn when she wants to."

Amadeus: [upset] "Merlin..."

Merlín: [by means of a hologram, ignoring Amadeus] "Don't worry, Sally. Rosemary's stubbornness can help you during the impeachment. Imagine her debating with Hamlin."

Antoine: [smiling] " _Oui_ ,  _sûrement_  will stay shaking in his seat."

Fiona: "Besides, you already have the support of Chuck and Rotor, and even if you  **only**  win Rosemary's vote, they'll be three in favor versus three against, and Elias will break the tie voting for you."

Sally: [by means of a hologram] *sigh* "I hope that's the case, Fiona... Let Bow and Tower come back."

Antoine opens the door for the sparrow to enter, and the communication with GUN's leader resumes.

Bow: "I guess it's my turn to tell you some news. First of all, Rob and Mari-An are very affected by what happened in Darmstadt am Main... although I think it would be a euphemism to say that, given that the King broke into tears a minute later... and they've immediately started plans to protect the exiles and ensure that they return to normal lives; the exiles will stay in Hessen am Main for the time being, and it's likely that a new city will be founded for them. On the other hand... [to Amadeus] A reinforcement team has arrived at Snottingham, and they'll meet with your team in Soleanna."

Fiona: "Who sends those reinforcements?"

Sally: [by means of a hologram] "I gathered them and sent them after Tails proposed it to me."

Fiona: "Wait, wait, wait: Did Miles ignore what I said to him?"

Sally: [by means of a hologram] "Fiona, he has good reason to think you all need reinforcements. Especially now that Merlin told us about the reinforcement brought by Finitevus."

Fiona: "Let's see if you get it: We! Don't! Need! His! F***ing! Reinforcements!"

Sally: [by means of a hologram] "I really trust the capabilities of you and the rest of your team, Fiona... [stares into Fiona's eyes] And I'm sorry that he suddenly seems so unpleasant to you, but that ain't relevant. He insists on sending reinforcements, and so do I."

* * *

Uncle Chuck's Restaurant, New Mobotropolis. 2:30 PM, Local Time, 8:30 PM, Mercia Time.

Tails and Zooey are on their first date, whose expenses were totally paid by the child prodigy (although Chuck himself had offered to make all the food for free). They've finished eating the dessert, and now they're chatting (and also laughing sometimes) while doing the after-dinner.

"You did have a fun and exciting childhood."

Tails makes a smug smile. "Yep, that's how I am..."

"Tails?"

"Yeah?"

"You still miss Fiona, don't you? You mentioned her every time."

"Well..."

"You don't have to deny it, I ain't gonna get mad."

*sigh* "You're right. When I was her boyfriend, our relationship was..." He begins to smile when remembering things. "Really special."

She pauses. "Hm, Tails? Why are you doing all this?"

"What are you talking about?"

"About inviting me to this date. It's obvious you still love that girl, so why did you wanna date me?"

Tails gives up. "Okay, you caught me... I wanna get over it. I've seen Sonic missing Sally and dating several other girls after breaking up with her. It's clear he had never gotten over the breakup, and I don't wanna end up like him. I wanna move on as soon as possible... and I think you're the best one with whom I can be."

*tsk* "But you're dating me just to get over your breakup with Fiona. A breakup that happened a little over a week ago."

"..."

"Look... Everyone in the city knows about the 'shady' past of Fiona, and everyone also knows exactly what kind of relationship you had with her: you two hadn't felt 'love at first sight' but you two had managed to become a happy couple; you loved each other very much, and you even had sex. And I want you to know that, in my opinion, there's nothing wrong with that; on the contrary, it ain't worth wasting it. You should try to fix your problems with Fiona.

"I doubt I can do it: I have no idea why she wanted to break up with me; besides, she only tells those things to people she absolutely trusts, and since we broke up, I guess she won't tell me her reasons, no matter what."

"I get it..."

"Now I'm beginning to think about this carefully... and I'm realizing that all this was just a childish fantasy. The idea that a simple misfit nerd, a little over ten years old, becomes the boyfriend of a  _femme fatale_  like Fiona. Ha.. Maybe I was fooling myself..."

Then, Zooey looks at Tails' eyes and realizes he's about to cry. Anticipating, she gets up from the chair and hugs the two-tailed fox, who immediately lets his tears flow.

[ **Soundtrack:**   _Love of my life_  –  **Queen** ]

*sob* "I'm a shit..."

"Don't say that, Tails."

"I'm sorry, Zooey... Sorry for lying to you... I love Fiona, I'll never stop loving her."

"I know... To tell the truth, that's one of the things that I like you so much for: you're capable of giving so much love to someone. Of course, I also fell in love with you because of your way of being: you're really adorable, charming, but at the same time you're so sincere, sensible, mature-"

"No, I'm nothing like that... *sob* Remember the Civil War, what I did then-"

"Yes, I remember it well... The father of a friend of mine died there. But you were being subjected to a limit situation, and the others weren't saints, much less our previous King, Max. Leaving that aside, I know you really are a very good mobian."

"And why do you tell me to go back to Fiona?"

"Because it's obvious you love her." She starts talking in a very serious tone. "And a relationship between you and me wouldn't work either: when Fiona and you were a couple, you two did things that I wouldn't be ready to do with you if I were your girlfriend; besides, we both move at a different pace, 'cause you're a Freedom Fighter while I'm a simple villager recently arrived from Furville, and... Just look at yourself!" Zooey is visibly worried. "You lost an eye, a hand, a foot, an ear and half a liver on your last mission, and it shows you were about to lose even your own life. I couldn't stay at home thinking my boyfriend could die young at any time."

"Yeah, I guess it's hard to try to have a relationship with me..."

"Also, what you felt...  **and you still feel**... for Fiona can be anything but it ain't a childish fantasy: you saved her from that green monster that only knew how to kill, lie and rape; you were with Fiona in good times and bad times; you had a lot of patience for her, even more patience than I could have for Chuck... and that's saying a lot 'cause he really is very demanding with the food he wants me to provide to his restaurant... I prefer you try to solve your problems with her and be happy. You really need Fiona, and that won't change, no matter how hard you try to get over it or forget it."

He slowly undoes the hug.

*snif* "And what will happen to you?"

"I can still be happy being single." She makes a small smile and winking at Tails.

"Yeah, I guess... That's another of my problems: unlike you, I cannot be a normal child. I cannot live carelessly, I don't have that kind of ignorance that would make me happy..."

"In short: you feel like an adult in the body of a child."

"Yes, but my mind still has things typical of a child, and they ain't exactly the best things: a true adult would get over a breakup, but I can't."

"Tails, you dunno how many adults I knew who can spend even a whole year without get over a breakup. I have a cousin who's like that."

Tails makes a small laugh. "Well, you managed to cheer me up a bit, at least."

"Listen, Tails: if your relationship with Fiona hasn't improved at all after a few months, you can call me so... well, so we can spend some time together. But until then, don't give up. What was generated between you two is beautiful, it ain't worth it to spoil it; and taking into account Fiona's past, she really deserves someone like you."

* * *

Half an hour later, Tails returns to his workshop. Coincidentally, someone sends a message to his laptop. The fox opens the message, but he gets a big surprise.

Rouge had sent him a video that she recorded secretly. In that fifteen minute video, she and Fiona are having lesbian sex. Tails tries to ignore that video and take it out; However, without realizing it, he slowly sits down in front of the laptop's screen while watching that long homemade porn video, and he even starts to masturbate.

("I never believed a pair of lesbians could do so many things...")

_"Do you like the video?"_

The fox gets scared by the voice of Rouge, who makes a video call to him: she's on a plane that takes her and her teammates to Soleanna.

"You scared me, Rouge!"

_"Yes, I understand you... considering you were caught red-handed. More precisely, with your hands in your big-"_

"Stpo it, Rouge. Why did you send me this?"

_"You know I love to play jokes on you, to see how you react. I also just realized something: you're smart, you claim to know a lot about many topics, including sex; but it seems you're the kind of people who think that, if neither of them has a virile member or an equivalent of it between the legs, having sex is impossible."_

Tails remains thoughtful, ignoring what Rouge said. "I think I know exactly why you actually sent the video to me: you want me to be jealous of you and to try to win Fiona's love again."

 _"Fuck."_  Rouge says to herself in a low voice.

"Did Antoine tell you about the mission I entrusted to him?"

_"That's right."_

"And you misinterpreted that mission."

_"C'mon, Tails... Don't you really want me to help you get your girlfriend back?"_

"If I can be Fiona's boyfriend again, it won't be this way. Make fun of me as much as you want, but I'm gonna play fair."

_"Okay, as you wish, killjoy. But I still have a surprise for you."_

"Another homemade porn video of Fiona and you? A video that you probably recorded without Fiona's permission, like the previous video?"

_"Actually, yes. But what does it matter?"_

Then she sends him a second video.

 _"Have fun."_  As soon as the she-bat finishes speaking, she ends the video-call.

Totally alone again, he sets out to watch the second homemade porn video of Rouge and Fiona, which this time has sex toys included.


	8. Chapter 7: The reinforcements are here.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Soleanna, Amadeus and his comrades will welcome a group of agents carefully selected to serve as reinforcements in the mission in Chun-Nan. Let's wish them good luck.

Duchy of Soleanna. 11:00 PM, Local Time, 9:00 PM, Mercia Time.

Under a sky full of stars and without a single cloud, in this city-State as picturesque as Spagonia and Hessen am Main, the streetlights shine throughout the urban area, reflecting their light on the channels whose waters are still traveled by some luxury boats.

There are two main worship sites in the Duchy, which are adjacent to a plaza. One of them is a replica of St Mark's Basilica, an ancient christian temple built by venetian humans twelve centuries before the Xordas' attack, a temple that was later rebuilt in Soleanna; the other is a large temple built in honor of Solaris, a goddess of the Sun who was often worshiped in this city-State.

Just in front of the square where the two temples are located, on the other side of a canal, is the Ducal Palace of Soleanna. On a high and extensive terrace of that palace, the team of  _Marshal_  Amadeus Prower is waiting for someone.

Rouge: [impatient] "When do the reinforcements arrive?"

Antoine: "They should arrive."

Rouge: "They  **should**  arrive, huh? What if they don't arrive? They'll have made us wait here for nothing."

Amadeus: [raises a hand and speaks in a low voice] "Silence. I heard something. It sounds like a jet approaching."

A short time later, they can clearly hear the turbines of a jet approaching the castle. However, nobody sees anything.

Until...

Antoine: [pointing to a specific place in the sky] " _C'est là-bas_! It's over there!"

Rouge: "What?"

Antoine: "The  _jet_! It's invisible!"

Rouge: "Did you go crazy?!"

Fiona: "Wait! I see it too!"

Everyone looks attentively, and then they can see that a portion of the sky looks distorted: there's something there, something that is altering the path of light in a certain area. A few seconds later, that deformed portion of the sky reveals itself as a medium-sized jet, which immediately uses a vertical take-off and landing system to land softly in the middle of the terrace.

A hatch opens below the back of the jet, and four mobians walk off the ramp.

The first one is Agent Shadow Hedgehog, sent by Commander Tower himself.

Next, Fiona Fox's former partner: Nicolette "Nic" Weasel, a female mobian who's a weasel and wolf hybrid, with violet and white fur, dressed as a treasure hunter.

Next to Nic is her boyfriend, a former member of Destructix: Lightning Lynx, a male mobian lynx with light brown fur and black hair on the head, eyebrows, ears' tips and other parts, equipped with clothing and weapons ninja.

Finally, the one sent by the Team Chaotix, Guardian Knuckles' girlfriend: Julie-Su, a female echidna who has got legionized her left arm and one of the dreadlock-like spines on her head; her coat on her body and her thorns are pink, she has lilac hair on her head; she's armed with two double-barrel proton guns for multiple uses, and she wears a black and turquoise vest, a black shorts, a gold belt, turquoise boots, and white gloves that only have the thumbs and index fingers separated from the rest.

As soon as they get off the plane, Shadow and Lightning walk towards Amadeus and Antoine to shake their hands with them.

Amadeus: "Welcome, comrades. It seems that my son knows how to choose reinforcements."

Shadow: "It's a pleasure to see you again,  _Marshal_. As for the agents selected by your son, he had actually recommended that Sergeant Simian also be part of these reinforcements."

Antoine: "It would have been a good choice.  _Cependant_ , I don't see the Sergeant anywhere. Can we know why?"

Lightning: "He had received a call from the Gorilla Colony, in the Northamer Great Forest: his old compatriots finally decided to fight against Eggman, then they learned about Simon and his new job as a member of the Resistance, and they called him. What Tails originally planned was to send Simon, me and Nic together, since we had already formed an independent team of Freedom Fighters, and he had also thought of sending only Shadow to accompany us all; but when Tails knew Simon wasn't available, he had to call more people, and that's how the echidna woman joined the reinforcements as well."

Meanwhile, Fiona and Nic greet each other with a big hug.

Fiona: "I'm so happy to see you, Nic!"

Nic: "Same here, Fio. [pauses] I learned about the problems between Tails and you."

The red vixen undoes the hug suddenly.

Fiona: "He told you, is not it?"

Nic: "Actually, the others told me when Tails wasn't present. [makes a slight smile] Hope everything is resolved between you two."

Fiona: [hesitating] "Yeah, I hope so too..."

On the other hand, Julie-Su and Rouge just shake hands.

Julie-Su: "We two working together... This mission will really be a unique experience, don't you think?"

Rouge: "I can already imagine it."

Julie-Su: "Anyway, you don't need to worry about me. Tails made me swear I wouldn't fight with you... although I didn't plan to do it either."

Rouge: "Tell me... How's it going with Knuckles?"

Julie-Su: *tsk* "We do the usual: working with Chaotix, kicking the ass to the bad guys, taking care of the Master Emerald together... which ain't as boring as you might think."

Rouge: "You're lucky, and Knux too... unlike Tails." [looks at Fiona from afar]

Julie-Su: [looks at Fiona] "Yeah... Poor boy. And poor Fiona, too. [in a low voice] It seems to me that the Civil War has affected these two foxes a lot, especially the boy."

Rouge: [in a low voice] "The Civil War affected us all. And all because of Finitevus and the green motorcyclist who tries to imitate Sonic."

Julie-Su: [in a low voice] "Yes, Sally told me what those two had plotted... And as for the effects of the Civil War: yes, it affected us all, but I have proof that it was worse in the case of Tails."

Rouge: [in a low voice] "Proof like ... Which?"

Julie-Su: [in a low voice] "He used to take baths like a maniac, but when I visited, he just took a bath after Sally and Sonic insisted. Sometimes he looks a little discouraged in his way of acting and speaking. However, when that ninja lynx asked him about Fiona, Tails attacked him fiercely; then he calmed down, but every time one of us mentioned her again, he became very aggressive and even dictatorial when talking to us; I had to threaten him that I'd call Knuckles so that he could 'make him see reason', and then Tails began to take care of his tone, but not without first insulting Knux and me  _sotto voce_. And finally: Tails could have traveled to Station Square as soon as he returned from Moebius, so that his right eye would be regenerated; however, he continues with his right eye empty and covered with a patch. On the other hand, I heard how he cried and insulted himself for several things: for supposedly being the cause of the Civil War, for having taken Fiona away from him, and so on. When he discovered I was listening to him, I had to swear I wouldn't tell anyone about this."

Rouge: [in a low voice] "Confirmed: Tails is sick in the head."

Julie-Su: [in a low voice] "He was falling into a spiral of depression when I saw him. Anyway, last night, while I was traveling from New Mobotropolis to Snottingham, I received an SMS from Tails: he said I shouldn't worry about him 'cause he had invited another girl to lunch today. I wonder if he did well on that date."

Rouge: [in a low voice] "Is he dating another girl? Surely Tails already gave up on Fiona... but perhaps the date with that girl was a failure."

Julie-Su: [in a low voice] "Why do you say that?"

Rouge: [in a low voice] "Because I contacted him a few hours ago, when it was already afternoon in New Mobotropolis, and he seemed to have faith that he could solve his problems with Fiona."

Amadeus: [approaches Rouge and Julie-Su] "Ready to travel to Chun-Nan?"

Julie-Su: [whispers in Rouge's ear] "Let's not tell the  _Marshal_  anything. We'd make him nervous unnecessarily."

Rouge: [whispers in Julie-Su's ear] "I agree." [to Amadeus, with a normal tone of voice again] "All ready, sir."

Amadeus: "I guess you were talking about the famous 'women stuff'. Don't bother telling me, it would be in vain."

Julie-Su: [kidding] "Yeah, you men would never understand. That's why they're 'women stuff'."

Both Amadeus and Julie-Su and Rouge laugh.

Julie-Su: "Leaving the jokes aside, it's an honor to work with you,  _Marshal_ -"

Antoine: "Attention! I'm listening to two more objects approaching!"

Indeed, there are two mobians flying through the skies of the Duchy. One of them is Leonidas Procion, who's using a jetpack and carries a metal suitcase in his hands. The other mobian is a strapping male coyote, apparently between 35 and 40 years old, who looks a lot like Antoine but whose hair has a military cut; he wears a black leather jacket, a white sleeveless undershirt, gray nautical pants, black leather gloves, and sunglasses; this coyote isn't flying with a jetpack, but uses rockets that seem to be  _inside_  his feet.

The two mobians land on the roof of the Ducal Palace. While Procion approaches Amadeus and both make the military salute, Antoine and the adult coyote give each other a hug, although the latter seems to be very cautious when giving him that hug.

Antoine: [undoing the hug, smiling] "Good thing you came back, Dad. Tails did well to recruit you."

Antoine's father: [with an accent similar to that of his son, but somewhat softened] "Yes, Amadeus' son knows what he's doing... although your friend seemed quite tense when I saw him. By chance, what do you think of my new look?"

Antoine looks up and down at his father.

Antoine: [raising an eyebrow] "Seriously? Are you still imitating  _The Terminator_?"

Antoine's father: "What's the problem? I look a lot like  _The Terminator_  now, don't you think? Think of this: an evil robot, possessor of great resistance and many weapons, but reprogrammed to fight for the forces of good."

Amadeus and Procion approach the two coyotes.

Procion: [to Antoine's father] "Sorry, General D'Coolette, but Arnold Schwarzenegger is and always will be unmatched."

In response, General D'Coolette takes off his gloves, revealing his robotic hands and forearms, and then he turns his left hand into a drill and unfolds a circular saw in his right hand while retaining a completely expressionless face. Seeing all this, the raccoon is paralyzed and a drop of sweat appears on the side of his forehead.

General D'Coolette: [in a voice exactly like Schwarzenegger's] "Do you want to bet?"

Proción: [smiling nervously] "No need, General."

General D'Coolette is a robian: a mobian victim of robotization by Dr. Robotnik during his world dictatorship. More than a week ago, the alien race of the Bems, originative from the planet Argentium, had abducted all Robians to de-robotize them and make them organic again; Antoine's father, who had regained his free will and wished to help the Resistance by fighting as a robian, refused to be returned to normal; Now he'is one of the most powerful secret agents in the service of Rob O'Hedge, the King of Mercia, his native country.

General D'Coolette: "Oh, and don't call me 'General'. I don't have that rank anymore."

Amadeus: [puts a hand on the shoulder of Antoine's father] "Come on, Armand... Don't be so bitter."

Armand: [laughing] "It's easy for you to say it,  _Marshal_."

Lightning: "Alright, meetings between old colleagues are beautiful, but... Can we know what this mission will consist of? I and the other newcomers have no idea."

Amadeus: "We will explain. Gather round."

The other nine mobians approach him, forming a circle among the ten of them.

Rouge: "Are everyone here aware of the existence of the GFA, the Great Finitevic Army?"

The six agents of the Reinforcement Team nod.

Antoine: "And do you already know who is its leader?"

Nic: "We received detailed reports about that militia. We know who Finitevus is."

Julie-Su: "And we, Chaotix's members, know him quite well."

Fiona: "Okay. It's suspected a Finitevic division is involved in illegal commercial activities in a part of the city-State of Chun-Nan. An Division of Intelligence of GUN, the Division of Investigations for the Internal Security, found evidence of clandestine factories where they're producing weapons and vehicles intensively for the goons and traitors who now serve Finitevus."

Amadeus: "There has also been an increase in the population in that part of the city, a result of internal migration from the rural area to the urban area, and these migrants have settled in shantytowns; this would indicate the establishment of factories and an increase in economic activity, which is suspicious: according to the official records, the number of factories installed in this last month is almost the same as in previous times, so the economic activity has grown as a result of something that isn't in the official records; in the same way, if the legally installed factories were the only ones existing, the people who still remain in the countryside wouldn't have found new opportunities in the city, and these internal migrations wouldn't take place."

Rouge: "Anyway, the evidence found is still not enough or only circumstantial, and GUN cannot carry out an attack within the national territory of the United Federation; so, we will do it with the unofficial support of Commander Tower: he will provide us with the necessary equipment; in addition, before our attack, he will also order that all the members of GUN leave the territory 'invaded and occupied by the GFA', and if there's still someone who identifies itself as an agent of GUN, then it's someone who doesn't obey Tower but Finitevus. Our mission is to enter that 'occupied territory', neutralize the occupation forces, destroy everything possible from those Finitevic weapons, vehicles and factories, and expose the GFA's operations in Chun-Nan; in this way, the Central Government will have solid evidence that will allow it to intervene in that city-State."

Fiona: "We will board a ship that will cross the Emerald Sea and take us to Chun-Nan. During the trip, we will review the plans of the city-State, and we will plan the attack. Got it?"

The six reinforcement agents nod.

* * *

The next day...

Chun-Nan's Downtown. 8:00 AM, Local Time, 6:00 AM, Soleanna Time.

A portion of an avenue, in whose sidewalks there are numerous grocery stores, is being guarded by between five and ten human Finitevic soldiers, who are posing as GUN's soldiers (having been casually GUN's soldiers before swearing their loyalty to the echidna mad scientist).

Suddenly Antoine appears on the balcony of a department, he shoots an arrow that hits and explodes at one end of that portion of the avenue, and he hides immediately. Half of the humans run to the explosion's site.

When they get there, they realize it's a decoy.

But it's too late.

_RA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA!_

[ **Soundtrack:**   _Back to the China_  –  **Metal Slug 2/X OST** ]

At the same moment, Armand D'Coolette and Amadeus Prower appear from behind a corner at the opposite end of the avenue and they start to attack the distracted soldiers by surprise. Antoine's father goes ahead, acting as a shield and firing with a 20mm Vulcan machine gun, which he's able to carry with his own arms thanks to his robian strength. The fox walks behind him and fires with a modified Uzi machine gun equal to the ones he and his team used in Jordan City.

When a human tries to shoot with an RPG-7 from behind a pick-up, Amadeus throws his modified saber, which sticks into the rocket launcher's bullet and makes its charge explode, killing the human too; then, while other soldiers continue firing, the fox stays behind Armand and activates a device integrated in a glove in his right hand, causing small rockets to light on the saber's handle and carry the weapon directly to the right hand of the owner, who then repeats the technique when attacking the other soldiers.

The few Finitevic soldiers who were there perish quickly, but another five soldiers appear driving motorcycles with a full fuel tank. When they're close to the mobians, the humans jump making the five bikes jump in the air and fall on top of the war veterans like real rolling Molotov bombs. Amadeus shoots at two of them with his modified Uzi, causing his naphtha to explode; Armand destroys two others with his Vulcan machine gun, and Antoine leaves the building from where he fired and throws his modified saber at the fifth motorcycle, whose naphtha explodes as soon as it's touched by the burning filament of the weapon.

The three mobians arrive at the end of the avenue, where there's a double-floor bus blocking the road. Then the upper floor opens and its wall joins the lower floor's wall in a diagonal position to form a ramp, allowing the passage of more soldiers, who were hidden inside and behind the bus. However, before the humans can even react, Armand attacks the bus with his hands turned into drills, and he destroys the vehicle in a matter of seconds, causing the soldiers to escape in terror.

Meanwhile, near there, a group of ten Finitevic soldiers are guarding a stream that crosses Chun-Nan. In the middle of the stream there's a small tower with only two floors, originally built for surveillance, and half of the soldiers are concentrated there.

Fiona, hidden, uses her weapons to electrify the water of the stream. Suddenly, the humans who are stuck in the water are electrocuted and fall; they're not dead, but the others believe they do and they, terrified, stay in the tower. Then Lightning, who had hidden among them in the midst of chaos, starts to attack them; within five seconds, the soldiers are neutralized, disarmed and thrown into the water, where Nic faints them with a powerful sedative and starts to tie them with steel cables.

A stealthbot surprises the three mobians in the stream and starts dropping their particle bombs on them in groups of three, but Julie-Su appears and she, using her two proton guns, destroys the bombs one by one. The drone descends, deploys a shuttle below it, and fires a rocket; the rocket is evaded by the mobians but destroys the small tower. When the stealthbot is about to fire a second rocket, Nic takes the opportunity to shoot at the second rocket with her revolvers and blow it up inside the drone; the latter rises a little, and it finally explodes as well.

_**BOOM!** _

Fiona and Julie-Su get ahead of their teammates, cross the stream and find a  _Prower Slug Mk 1_ , guarded by two soldiers whom Fiona immediately neutralizes with her "Taser-Fist". Coincidentally, a turbo-jet for passenger transport departs from an airport not far from there.

Julie-Su occupies the bottom of the tank to drive it and use the gun pods, and Fiona occupies the top to control the cannon. Then, the  _Prower Slug_ begins to move downhill through the sloping terrain of a shantytown, whose houses are fortunately empty after GUN's loyal soldiers have quietly evacuated them; while the tank advances over the empty houses' roofs (seriously damaging them as well), several paratroopers fall on the shantytown and try to shoot the vehicle by using RPG-7 rocket launchers; the  _Prower Slug_  is slowed by the rockets' impact but manages to resist, and Fiona uses the gun pods to fire guided missiles that intercept the paratroopers.

Some light tanks try to prevent the advance of the vehicle invented by Tails: they're new tanks built by the GFA, completely handled by computer and whose treads have the same traction system as the  _Prower Slug_. But these tanks are destroyed by two mobians who appear to help the red vixen: Shadow, who generates and throws Chaos spears without needing to possess a Chaos Emerald, and Rouge, who flies swiftly and shoots the Finitevic soldiers using two common pistols.

When the  _Prower Slug_  and the two members of GUN's Team Dark finish down the slope and arrive at a part of the shantytown with a more horizontal terrain, they find a turret that immediately points its plasma cannon towards them; luckily, Procion appears there and shoots at the turret with a new weapon that he was carrying in his metal suitcase in Soleanna: two strange machine guns, which look like MP5 but, thanks to the energy generated by miniature quantum reactors, shoot water drops at more than 2000 kilometers per hour. The bullets go through the turret's armor and hit its unused ammo, which then bursts and destroys the turret almost completely.

Procion: [to his teammates] "Improved versions of the famous 'super-water pistols'. A gift from the  _Marshal_ 's son."

Fiona pokes her head through the hatch at the top of the  _Prower Slug_.

Fiona: "Will you also start saying things that remind me of Miles?! You all are doing this just to stress me out!"

Realizing the outburst she has just had, the red vixen blushes and slowly puts her head back into the vehicle.

Procion: "If you want so much to avoid remembering Tails, why are you driving that tank, one of his most amazing and representative inventions?"

In response to the raccoon, Fiona abruptly closes the hatch.

Procion: "Okay, got it: you don't wanna know anything about your former boyfriend, and besides you're proud to be a hypocrite!"

Shadow: "Let's end this mission once and for all and leave the discussions for later."

The black and red hedgehog begins to run through the sheet metal roofs of the houses, followed by his teammates. The terrain is lower, but the houses' roofs in that terrain are aligned in a way that allows them to keep moving forward. Several soldiers and four missile launchers try to stop them. Rouge flies and dodges the soldiers' shots, goes to one of the vehicles, installs a bomb in the part where the vehicle and the tubes are joined, and when it explodes, the missile launcher becomes unusable and then explodes; Shadow neutralizes all humans by running towards them and using only hand-to-hand combat; meanwhile, Procion shoots a few bullets of his "water machine guns" at two other vehicles, and although both are one behind the other, both are completely crossed by the bullets and they finally explode; in the tank, Julie-Su uses the gun pods in Machine Gun Mode to destroy the launched missiles, and Fiona charges the cannon and destroys the last missile launcher by a single shot.

When everything is clear, the  _Prower Slug_  crouches, and both the pink echidna and the red vixen open their respective hatches and poke their heads over them.

Julie-Su: "HAHAHA! Take that, Finitevus! Changing the subject... [to Fiona] It would be great if we could chat a little about... You know... The inventor of this tank."

Fiona: [turns around and looks at Julie-Su in a threatening way] "How about activating your cabin's ejection system, right here, right now?"

Although the vixen was trying to scare Julie-Su, the ex-dark legionary isn't scared at all but just makes a long sigh and goes back into the tank. A few seconds later, the other members of the team reach them.

Amadeus: "Nice job, comrades. Time to leave-"

Antoine: [his right ear moves] "Wait."

Armand: [intrigued] "What happens, son?"

Antoine: "Something is coming. It's very, very big."

Amadeus: [with authority] "Get ready, everyone."

The ten members of the team prepare their weapons and wait, until...

[ **Soundtrack:**   _Steel Beast 6 Beets_  –  **Metal Slug 2/X OST** ]

In an almost dry riverbed, next to the shantytown where Amadeus' commando group is, a few hundred meters away from them, a battleship surprisingly capable of moving by land appears. In addition to the control tower and radar in the center of the "ship", there are also more than one hundred cannons mounted on turrets distributed in the prow, in the stern and around the tower; on each side there are equally gigantic treads with traction system similar to that used by the  _Prower Slug_ , which allows the battleship to move by land at a respectable speed.

Rouge: "That thing was mentioned in Intel reports! We must destroy it at all costs!"

_PUM! PUM! PUM! PUM! PUM!_

The she-bat pulls a "plasma-thrower" out of the backpack, she flies swiftly close to the amphibious battleship's turrets, she skillfully dodges its clumsy shots and she fires at the cannons in an attempt to overheat them with the burning plasma.

Meanwhile, the others start to directly destroy each of the turrets and the already fired bullets, each using their own weapons: Procion's "water machine guns"; Amadeus' modified saber, repeatedly thrown into the mouth of some cannon and then drawn back into the war veteran's hand; the  _Prower Slug_ 's cannon, aiming at the turrets, and its gun pods in the Missile Launcher Mode, firing at the bullets that fall on the mobians; the arrows accurately shot by Antoine at the cannons; Nic's revolvers, also accurate but aimed at the bullets fired, and Shadow's Chaos spears, thrown into the turrets. To dodge the shots, they move quickly or are teleported by Shadow, and to protect themselves, they use the evacuated precarious houses or the Chaos energy shields, the latter also generated by Shadow occasionally.

Armand is looking for a good time to take a big jump into the battleship and destroy the turrets right there; but this is prevented by the cannons' intense fire and because he, unlike Rouge, is an easy target and isn't the best at dodging.

Armand: "Damn... [in a voice similar to Schwarzenegger's, again]  **I'll be back.** "

_**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!** _

_Marshal_  Prower's team gets to destroy almost all the turrets of the amphibious battleship, after several minutes and of being running over the roofs while the "ship" was advancing along the riverbed. Then the battleship stops, its prow moves forward and separates a little from the rest, and this creates enough space for the deployment of a huge cannon already stored inside that versatile mechanical monster. The "super-cannon" is short compared to its caliber, it's kept above the prow thanks to a thick column that can be retracted and hide the weapon inside the battleship, and its mechanism can be seen from the outside.

Fiona: [from inside the  _Prower Slug_ ] "WOAH! Look at that thing! How much caliber does it have?! Twenty meters?!"

The super-cannon points to the group of mobians...

_**PUM!** _

And it shoots an equally wide and short warhead, more similar to the warhead of a giant version of a 9mm bullet; a "cap" of a size and proportions similar to those of the warhead is also dropped from behind the weapon. They all run away from the impact site, and Shadow teleports taking the tank and its two occupants with him.

_**KA-BOOM!** _

While the super-cannon reloads, they try to regroup.

Shadow: "I'll take off the rings and make a Chaos Blast!"

Amadeus: "No! We will do that only as a last resort!"

Nic: "We have to destroy the super-cannon! Surely that will also destroy the ship... or whatever that bucket of bolts is called!"

Julie-Su: [from inside the  _Prower Slug_ , by using communicator] "But we should also destroy its support!"

Antoine tries to shoot an arrow at the super-cannon, but the smaller cannons start to shoot right in the middle of the trajectory that the arrow should follow, preventing the young coyote from setting the target.

_PUM! PUM! PUM!_

Antoine: "The smaller cannons protect it-!  **RUN!** "

As soon as they hear Antoine's loud scream, they all see how the super-cannon prepares to shoot, and they disperse. However, Julie-Su keeps her tank immobile.

Fiona: [to Julie-Su] "What the f*** are you doing?!"

Julie-Su: "I have an idea. Shoot the cannon when I say it."

_**PUM!** _

The super-cannon fires directly into the  _Prower Slug_ , and Julie-Su makes the tank jump at the precise moment to dodge the warhead.

_**KA-BOOM!** _

At the same moment that the super-cannon warhead hits the ground, the tank is at its maximum height, just above the impact site. The explosion doesn't damage the  _Prower Slug_ , but its blast wave drives it until it reaches twice or perhaps even three times the height the tank could reach on its own. When the latter is right in front of the battleship's turrets...

Julie-Su: [to Fiona] "Fire!"

_PUM!_

Fiona fires the main cannon, and the bullet destroys one of the turrets.

_**BOOM!** _

Meanwhile, the tank falls heavily on the ground, but it's not damaged nor do its two occupants get hurt.

Amadeus: [by using communicator] "Excellent idea, Julie-Su! Prepare yourself and Fiona to do that again."

Fiona: [from inside the  _Prower Slug_ , by using communicator] "It'll be a pleasure,  _Marshal_!"

Amadeus: [by using communicator] "To all the other agents: form groups of three; when the super-cannon is about to fire again, the one with the most damaging weapons will be held by the other two, and they'll throw it over the warhead's impact site so that it's propelled upwards by the blast wave; when the 'thrown' agent reaches its maximum height, it will shoot at the turrets as much as possible. Shadow will be the first to be thrown and attack, and when the others do the same, he will teleport and Rouge will fly to pick up the agents before they crash into the ground. Shadow, Rouge, can you two do it?"

Rouge: [by using communicator] "Consider it done."

Shadow: [by using communicator] "I'm the Ultimate Lifeform. You already know my answer."

Amadeus: [by using communicator] "Armand, Julie-Su, Fiona, Shadow, Rouge, Antoine and Procion: when the turrets are destroyed, we will have free way to attack the super-cannon. Pay attention to my orders."

They all approach each other and form groups of three: Rouge lands, and then she and Amadeus hold Shadow on top of them; Armand, thanks to his great strength, is able to hol Antoine on his own while the latter stands on his father's shoulders; Nic and Lightning hold Procion, and Julie-Su and Fiona prepare to repeat their technique using the  _Prower Slug_. They all remain at a safe distance from the place where the super-cannon is pointing. Meanwhile, the turrets are still pointing to the ground, waiting for attacks coming from there.

_**PUM!** _

The super-cannon fires, and when the warhead is halfway to the ground, the mobians throw Shadow, Antoine and Procion towards the impact site, while the  _Prower Slug_  also moves forward and jumps. The black and red hedgehog is thrown with an anticipation of a fraction of a second.

_**KA-BOOM!** _

The bullet hits the ground; then, the Ultimate Lifeform, the archer, the raccoon and the tank are instantaneously and violently propelled upward; when they're at their maximum height, they destroy the few remaining turrets by using Shadow's Chaos spears, multiple explosive arrows fired simultaneously by Antoine, Procion's "water machine guns", and some cannon balls quickly loaded and fired by FIona. The turrets, which were pointing towards the ground, don't realize this and are destroyed by the mobians; as for them, the  _Prower Slug_  falls back to the ground without suffering any damage, Shadow catches Antoine and teleports to the ground with him, and Rouge flies to Procion, she picks him up in the air and both land softly.

Amadeus: [by using communicator] "Well done, colleagues! Let's get this over with!"

Now the only undamaged and still functional is the super-cannon. But while this loads another bullet, Armand jumps and lands in the battleship's prow.

Antoine: [by using communicator] "Good jump, Dad."

Rouge: [by using communicator] "General, you should compete in the Olympic Games."

Once Armand is in the battleship, he turns his hands into drills and tries to destroy the support of the gigantic main weapon of the "ship". At the same time, Antoine shoots guided arrows with acid bombs, and they turn around and hit the other side of the support in such a way that the acid doesn't reach his father. Amadeus, Shadow and Procion also use their weapons to damage together the super-cannon itself.

Half a minute later, the weapon has its entire structure severely damaged, and begins to collapse. The metal resonates as it slowly bends, dents, stretches and breaks, and its pieces collide with each other; there are even some small explosions.

_TAN! TAN! TAN! BOOM! TAN! BOOM! TAN! TAN!_

Armand quickly gets out of there by jumping and lighting the rockets on his feet. Just a second later...

_**BROOM!** _

The support finally gives way, and the super-cannon falls on the prow of the "ship" and crushes it. The engines are also damaged, and the amphibious battleship starts to have explosions that finally destroy it.

_BOOM! BOOM!_

_**KA-BOOM!** _

Everyone stands still and silent, contemplating how that machine is destroyed...

Until Fiona opens the  _Prower Slug_ 's hatch and her body's upper half comes out.

Fiona: "YEAH! We made it! Three hurrahs for Tony's Dad! Hip-hip!"

Her teammates just look at her.

Fiona: "C'mon, folks... A little party won't hurt anyone, will it?"

Amadeus: "First we should contact GUN and let them know about this. But Fiona is right: after informing Commander Tower, it's worth celebrating for this. After all, we've managed to defeat that war machine together before it has destroyed any city."


	9. Chapter 8. Complicated relationships.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems there's not gonna be a new mission in a long time, so the team decides to relax for a few days. However, during those few days, Fiona will have an uncomfortable conversation, and Tails will also have to deal with new problems of his own.

The next day...

New Mobotropolis. 10:15 AM, Local Time, 8:15 PM, Chun-Nan Time.

A reassured Sally is leaving the New Castle of Acorn: Councilor Hamlin had accused her of treason, since the KFFs had breached the Council's orders when they attacked Moebius, and Sally was responsible for it as part of her role as the team's leader; however, after a long debate, the Councilors decided almost unanimously to lift the charges against Sally, Hamlin being the only one who maintained his position and voted against the princess' absolution.

Now she's being accompanied by Sonic, Tails, Chuck and Rotor; the old hedgehog and the walrus are dressed in special uniforms that identify them as Councilors of Acorn, uniforms that have similarities with those of the old Royal Guard: blue jacket with red edges and gold epaulettes, a red band, blue pants, and brown boots.

Meanwhile, Tails' mother and  _Marshal_  Prower's wife, Councilor Rosemary Prower, also leaves the Castle but through another door; of course, she's also dressed in a uniform of Councilor of Acorn. Her son gets to see her.

"Sonic, could you wait for me for a moment? I have an issue to attend to."

"Sure thing, buddie. But remember our flight to Station Square."

The fox walks away. "We still have time to spare. See you later!"

A few seconds later, Tails reaches his mother and surprises her by grabbing her arm very tightly and then taking her (rather, dragging her) to his workshop. She tries to walk at the same pace as her son.

"Hey, Miles, wait! What's going on?"

"We need to talk." He says to his mother in a serious tone, without looking at her.

Finally both arrive at the workshop, but Tails keeps walking and takes his mother to an isolated room, the same room where he usually has his ATA suit kept. Upon entering, he closes the door.

"Very good. Now tell me, Mom: What happened in Sally's trial?"

"You saw what happened: we realized she didn't deserve to be judged for treason and-"

"No, no, I ain't asking you about what the Council did as a whole."

"You mean what I did, right?"

"We were gonna put an end to Scourge once and for all, and you opposed it."

"You also attended that session of the Council, you know what my position had been: it was better to allocate resources to put an end to Eggman-"

"You knew how dangerous Scourge was. You saw it with your own eyes. What were you thinking at that moment?"

"Son, let me explain: I fought a war on the very frontline, and I sensed that maniac dictator could be planning something right under our noses-"

"That justifies nothing when it comes to Scourge!" Tails shouts, hitting a metal table with his fist. "Besides, you should remember the KFFs and I were also in a war, and we've waged that war while being in inferior conditions. *sigh* However, you did the worst thing a while ago, in the political trial."

"What are you talking about? Hamlin was the only one who voted against lifting the charges."

Tails turns his back on his mother and starts walking around the room. "No, I mean what you said  **before**  the vote, during the stage where you all asked questions and presented your arguments individually." He pauses and looks at Rosemary face to face. "A conspiracy organized by Elías and Sally to eliminate Democracy? Mom... What the f-  _hell_  have you smoked before the trial?"

When listening to her son saying that, Rosemary is upset. "You'd better apologize for talking to me like that. Remember that I am your mother-"

"That ain't relevant now! This ain't a mother-son conversation, okay? In this conversation, you're a National Councilor who supposedly watches over the people's welfare, and I'm a citizen who has been fighting for the people since always but who was harmed along with several others by the measures taken by  **you**. All your decisions were harmful to me, to my teammates and to the performance of our work, and that in turn was harmful to this nations's people, the same people who voted for you, in case you've not noticed."

Rosemary looks to the side while her son continues to expose his arguments.

"If you actually want Democracy to work well... which I also want, believe me... then you better start really using your brain. Besides, I dunno if you noticed, but when you do all those stupid things, you practically have been licking Hamlin's boots, you've been doing the same thing as that miserable-"

"Better me than the Acorns!"

After Rosemary has unleashed her repressed fury with that scream, she and her incredulous son remain silent.

"Seriously? Did you do all this out of a personal grudge against Sally and her family?"

"Don't you remember everything that happened a few days ago? My hatred for the Acorns is very well justified-"

"No, it ain't justified at all. Elias is actually acting on behalf of the people now, his mother Alicia is harmless and she ain't influencing him to take conservative measures, and Sally is doing much better than before her work as my team's leader; and none of the three is influenced by Naugus at all, unlike Max. The 'Acorn Menace' no longer exists, it was eliminated at the end of the Civil War. And if you still don't trust them, then you should act differently, instead of using your seat in the Council to make false, ridiculous, absurd and totally ill-founded accusations."

The child prodigy breathes deeply and then continues talking.

"Pay close attention. For now, Sally is doing everything right, but if she someday starts making bad decisions... which I and only I am gonna judge... we're gonna apply a 'three strikes policy': if she makes a bad decision for the first time, I'll take care to make her learn from her mistake, but we will forgive her for the time being; if she makes a bad decision a second time, I'll call her attention but we will forgive her again; and if Sally makes a bad decision for the third time, only then will I call you to do everything you need to get her outta her position. However, until the third strike occurs, Sally will be untouchable, and you'd better keep your mouth shut. You happy?"

All Rosemary does is look at her son with a poker face.

"I'll take that as a yes-"

"You're doing all this for Fiona, don't you? You're angry because she broke up with you, and then you discharge your anger on others."

Tails closes his hands in fists, and then he growls and goes to the door of the isolated room. But when he opens the door, he stops and looks sideways at his mother. He looks at her in such a way that what she sees from his face is his patched right eye.

"Sonic and I will go to Station Square so that doctors can regenerate my right eye, the eye I lost along with other parts of my body in an epic battle where I fought almost alone against a villain whose enormous danger has apparently been forgotten by you. When I'm discharged from the hospital, we will go to Apotos, and there I'll be able to rest and I'll also try to de-stress. Hope you fulfill your part of the deal while I'm out of the country."

Having said that, Tails leaves the isolated room, grabs a pair of very full suitcases and leaves his workshop, heading to the airport. Meanwhile, his mother just stares at him as he walks away.

* * *

Three days later...

City-State of Apotos. 2:00 PM, Local Time, 8:00 PM, New Mobotropolis Time.

50 kilometers east of the coast of Apotos' mainland, is the main tourist destination of this city-State of the United Federation: the archipelago of Thera, a group of small mountainous islands located a few kilometers away from each other, that form the rims of the crater of a sleeping volcano sunk in the waters of the Central Sea.

On the islands' coasts (especially on the northern island, Απάνω Μεριά [Apáno Meriá], the third largest), there are many vaulted houses built in succession one on top of the other, painted white and blue and traversed by narrow paths; many of these houses had been built in natural niches in the rock, they were mansions of wealthy merchants, and they're now used as hotels and restaurants. There are also some small churches of the ancient human religion of Orthodox Christianity, churches also painted white with simple hemispherical domes painted blue. Most of these constructions are on the crater's edges, located as if they were seats of an amphitheater.

The eastern island, Χώρα [Chóra], is the largest and most populated, and it's the first city founded by Apotos' inhabitants in the archipelago, a city that is now the administrative center of these islands. On the other hand, this island is rather mountainous and there's not much vegetation in it.

On the western island, Ανεμώδης [Anemódis], the second largest, is the main port and the best beaches in the archipelago, a famous set of windmills that dominate the landscape, and the Little Soleanna: a colony founded by merchants of Soleanna, very visited by couples on their honeymoon.

The southern island, Μαντείου [Manteíou], the smallest of the main islands, is a little closer to the crater's center, is especially sterile and is composed mainly of volcanic rock; however, there's a cultural heritage: the ruins of a complex dedicated to the worship of Aurora, where Albion's echidnas used to travel; the main constructions in the island were an Aurorium of considerable size, where the echidnas prayed to Aurora, and a slightly smaller temple, where an oracle was consulted about the future.

In addition to the four main islands, there are several islets around the sunken crater and in the middle of it, and these islets are quite similar to Manteíou.

On the beaches of Anemódis, Tails and Sonic are resting in deck chairs while eating chocolate ice cream. The two-tailed fox still has a patch, but this now covers his left eye, which is actually healthy.

"I can't believe it... Did you really say all that to your mom?"

"Why should not I tell her? She deserved it!"

"Well, I totally agree with that."

"Anyway, I realize... or I wanna believe... that she still cares for me, at least a little, but now she's hiding it and tries to act like she doesn't care. Why would she do something like that? I have no idea."

"Maybe she thinks she will only be a good politician if she's exclusively dedicated to it, and that's why she pretends she doesn't care about anything else. Sally also acted like this: sometimes, she did her 'leader stuff' 24/7; it seemed she forgot our relationship, but she actually still remembered it but she sacrificed it in favor of her work." The blue hedgehog pauses. "But still, your mom hasn't done what you could call 'a good job'. By the way... Did she really scream that in your face?"

"What? That she did what she did because the Acorns were the worst thing that could happen? Yeah... I thought she had got over it after we threw Max out."

Tails and Sonic continue contemplating the sea.

"When dad knows what Mom did, He won't believe it either."

"It's ancient history, lil bro, relax... at least during these days when you'll stay in Apotos. How about we go and play beach volleyball? Since we're so famous, surely there'll be people who wanna join."

"It'd be great to embarrass you in public, but I can't. I could lose the patch."

"But your left eye is healthy. The eye you had to take care of was the right eye."

"Precisely: my new right eye is at a disadvantage with respect to my left eye, and it still has to reinforce its connection with my brain; If I don't keep my left eye completely covered, I'll not be making my right eye work-"

"Yadda, yadda, yadda-"

"And it can atrophy. And if it atrophies, there's no turning back."

"Oh... Guess I'll have to play volleyball alone."

Apparently grieved, Sonic stands up, grabs a ball and slowly walks to a portion of the beach where there's already a volleyball net installed. Tails feels sorry for him... until he sees Sonic using his super-speed to run from one side of the playing field to the other, passing under the net and playing volleyball with himself.

"Damn selfish, you don't change anymore..." Tails says to himself.

* * *

Central City, Spagonia and Westopolis are not found on the mainland of Eurish but on a large island to the West, which has a more or less circular shape, measures about 1250 km in diameter and is separated from the mainland by a long strait. Originally, Empire City had been founded on the mainland, on the eastern edge of the strait, and the Government still resides in the rural area, about 100 km from the urban area; however, the most important area in this city-State is a small island in the middle of the strait: the formerly called "Island of the Hills", now known as "Empire Island".

[ **Soundtrack:**   _New York, New York_  –  **John Kander & Fred Ebb, original version of Liza Minnelli**]

Empire Island is one of the most populated sites in the entire United Federation; there are several skyscrapers, most of the central houses of large companies, the main hotels and tourist destinations of the city-State, and LED screens that cover the buildings and make the island now have the nickname of "the new city that never sleeps"; there's also an immensely extensive park in the very center of the island. At the site where Empire Island is located, the strait is divided into two. To the East, on the mainland of Eurish, there's another district of Empire City, New Guernsey.

New Marriott Hotel, Empire Island, City-State of Empire City. 5:00 PM, Local and Apotos Time.

"These are the ancestors of me and Knux."

In one of the suites at the New Marriott Hotel, Julie-Su is teaching her teammates the history of the echidnas; at this very moment, she's showing them the family tree of Knuckles and her.

"The origin of Knuckles' lineage goes back to about six centuries ago, with the scientists Jordann and Kayla-La: when the White Comet was about to destroy Echidnaopolis, Kayla-La devised the plan to use the energy of twelve Chaos Emeralds to make the city float in the air and thus get it out of the collision point, and it worked; this is how Angel Island was formed. His descendants formed the 'House of Jordann': Jordann and Kayla-La's son, Spencer; Spencer and Rosa-Lyn's son, Jeffrey; Jeffrey and Dian-Na's son, Byron; and finally, Byron and Angel-La's sons, the brothers Edmund and Dimitri. That's when the problems with the Dark Legion began: four centuries ago, the brothers proposed returning the island to its place of origin, by draining the energy of the island's Chaos Emeralds by means of an invention named 'Chaos Siphon', but the city's High Council rejected the plan; Edmund accepted the decision, but Dimitri didn't."

"And I suppose that Dimitri created at that moment that 'Dark Legion' of which we've heard so much." Amadeus says.

"We still don't get to that part. Dimitri used his Chaos Siphon to drain the energy of the Emeralds that kept the island afloat, but all that energy was transferred to his own body, and he was possessed by a being named Enerjak..."

"Enerjak?"

"Yeah, we crossed paths with him sometimes." Fiona intervenes. "In short: a  **very**  bad spirit who becomes  **very**  dangerous when he manages to possess the body of some poor idiot with delusions of grandeur."

Everyone gives serious looks to the red vixen, who looks puzzled.

"What?"

_RIIIIING! RIIIIING!_

Fiona takes out her cell phone and checks it: Sonic is making a video call.

"I'll be back in a minute." She quickly goes to an adjacent room.

"Anyway..." Julie-Su continues her story. "Dimitri was defeated, the High Council forbade technology in order to prevent something like this from happening again, and Edmund became the first Guardian. His descendants formed the 'House of Edmund', and each of them also received the title of Guardian; many of them had to assume the mantle at a very early age, there were even cases of Guardians who assumed that mantle before they were ten years old, and they had a mobian fire ant as a counselor; since the life expectancy increases greatly thanks to the Chaos powers, there were several Guardians alive at the same time, and thus the Brotherhood was formed."

She proceeds to show the family tree on a larger screen, and she starts to name family members.

"The following Guardians were: the son of Edmund and Siwa-Ra, Steppenwolf, the first properly trained to fulfill the role of Guardian, using powers obtained through a link with the Chaos Force... It must be mentioned his father had actually been a scientist, not a warrior... The Guardians after Steppenwolf were: the son of him and Eri-Ka, Moonwatcher; Moonwatcher and Lunama-Re's son, Harlan; Harlan and Dawn-Na's son, Rembrandt; Rembrandt and Sasi-Ka's first son, Aaron, who sacrificed himself on a mission when he was very young... After that, the Brotherhood had decided the future Guardians would be trained differently: they'd start training at a very early age and alone, the goal would be to make them responsible, self-sufficient and able to survive on their own when they officially become Guardians, and the existence of the previous Guardians and of the Brotherhood would be kept secret for them until their training ends."

("Maybe the Guardians thought Aaron died because he was irresponsible.") Shadow thinks. ("Still, I don't see the logic in that change.")

"Aaron was replaced by his younger brother, Jordan; later, Jordan and Kann-Di's son, Mathias, was able to perform astral projection and he even presented himself in front of Knux and the other living Guardians in the current age; Mathias and Jai-Na's son, Hawking, teleported the echidnas, the dingoes and their respective cities into safe parallel universes after a nuclear bombardment of Angel Island; Hawking and Sonja-Ra's son, Tobor, wasn't trained according to tradition, he lived all his life with his parents, was personally trained by Hawking and formed a family shortly after reaching adulthood, but later he disappeared during a battle and was supplanted during his absence by a dark legionary leader infiltrated in the Brotherhood; Tobor and Voni-Ca's son, Specter, received cybernetic implants by force when the Dark Legion captured him and tried to make him one of their own; Specter and Kali-Ka's son, Sojourner, made the Brotherhood begin to take care of the protection of other regions of Mobius; later came Sojourner and Wanda-Ra's son, Thunderhawk; Thunderhawk and Shazi-Li's daughter, Janelle-Li, was the first and only female Guardian; Janelle-Li and Nemo's son, Athair, was apparently contacted by the goddess Aurora and the Ancient Walkers and he was ordered to... well,  _give up_  his duties and become the religious leader of the Forgotten Tribe..."

"The Forgotten Tribe?" Amadeus asks.

Procion intervenes. "A group of echidnas who, faced with the imminent impact of the White Comet, decided to leave Echidnaopolis and search for the Island of Albion, the homeland of the mobian echidnas. I know it because Queen Mari-An told me: she was a member of the Forgotten Tribe before arriving in Mercia and meeting Rob O'Hedge."

"Interesting... Continue, Julie-Su."

"Of course. Then, Janelle-Li had to take the place of Athair and continue with her work as Guardian. His successor was Athair and Crystal-La's son, and Janelle-Li's grandson and successor, Saber; later, Saber and Jenna-Lu's son, Locke, had visions about the enemies his future son would face, he asked the Brotherhood and Athair for advice, and he decided to genetically alter his son by irradiating his egg with Chaos energy. Now, the newest Guardian is Knux, the son of Locke and Lara-Le of the House of Arian."

"I heard there were some...  _problems_  between Knux's parents." Rouge says. They all look at the she-bat in the same way they had looked at Fiona.

"I'm a spy, remember?"

"It's all right, folks. Don't get mad at Rouge." Julie-Su says. "It's a mania of hers, you'll get used to it. But what she says is true: Lara-Le disagreed with Locke experimenting with Knux, and she also disagreed with his way of raising their son later, but she had almost no right to say anything about it, as it usually did with Guardians' spouses when they raised their children and successors; finally, Lara-Le divorced her Guardian husband, the first time this happens in the whole history of the Brotherhood, and she married a certain 'Wynmacher'; she also laid an egg recently, and within a few months, Knux will have a younger brother."

"Then, when we defeat Finitevus, you can send our congratulations to Lara-Le and Wynmacher." Armand says.

"And to Knuckles, too." Procion adds.

"Knuckles with a younger brother..." Antoine holds back a laugh. " _Ce sera intéressant_."

Meanwhile, Rouge manages to hear how Fiona discusses with someone. Unable to resist the curiosity, she moves away from Julie-Su and the others, walks slowly and silently to Fiona's room, and presses her ear against the door.

* * *

"You too?! How's it possible that all the people known by me are conspiring to make my life impossible?!"

In her own room, Fiona is communicating with Sonic via video-call. The blue hedgehog is in a room of a hotel on the coast of the island of Apáno Meriá.

_"C'mon, Fiona, think about it. At least, exchange some words with Tails."_

"Never."

_"But what's wrong with him? Has he hurt you in any way?"_

"That ain't why I broke up with Miles. I just wasn't feeling good being with him, I was feeling I was there just to make him feel good and prevent him from blowing his own brains. And I was getting tired of that, 'cause I can't spend my life having sex with any naive nerd who's depressed and in need of comfort."

The sprinter is speechless for several seconds after hearing the sayings of the vixen, who remains undisturbed.

_"How can you say that without your head hanging in shame?"_

Meanwhile, Tails enters the room where Sonic is talking to Fiona.

_"Fiona! Can we talk for a minute, please?"_

"I'm sorry, Miles, but I have work to do-"

 _"No, this time you'll give an explanation to Tails."_  The hedgehog turns to his "lil bro" with the intention of making the red vixen also listen.  _"Fiona just told me what she actually thinks of you, and it's very interesting. Shall I tell you?"_

 _"No need, Sonic. I'll talk to her personally."_  Tails addresses Fiona.  _"Please, let's just talk this time, and I'll make sure that others also stop doing it. I swear."_

"Okay, let's talk. But I don't want any blue hedgehogs nearby."

Tails gives a threatening look to his "big brother", who silently nods and leaves the room. When the two-tailed fox is already alone with the computer he's using to talk to Fiona, he turns to her again.

_"Rouge told me what happens between her and you. Hope you're having a good time, honestly."_

"Thanks. What about you?"

* * *

In Tails' room, Apáno Meriá Island, Apotos...

"I tried my luck with a girl, but I didn't achieve anything: she immediately realized I was still missing you, even though she didn't get mad about it after all."

_"I'm sorry."_

Both remain silent and avoid looking at each other.

_"It's good to know you have two eyes again."_

"Yeah, I guess..."

The silence between them returns.

"So... Am I just a naive nerd who was depressed and in need of comfort?"

Fiona is startled.  _"Did you press your ear against the door?! Did you hear everything?!"_

"Sorry." Tails smiles mischievously. "I couldn't resist the temptation."

_"Miles, I just... I was nervous and... *sigh* I'm really sorry."_

The child prodigy doesn't look offended.

"According to you, what does it mean to be naive?"

_"Huh?"_

"What I just told you: I wanna know what it's that you call 'naivety'."

The question posed by Tails almost left Fiona speechless.

_"Well... 'Naive' is synonymous with 'credulous' and 'innocent', if I ain't mistaken..."_

"And do you think I'm credulous or innocent? Maybe I've been like this in a previous time, but I was already someone very different when we met again a little over a year ago, and you know very well how I am now." Tails apparently remains relaxed, without being offended or upset.

Fiona is speechless at what was said by her ex-boyfriend.

"You said, and I quote verbatim, that you couldn't spend your life having sex with any naive nerd who's depressed and in need of comfort. Are you saying our courtship wasn't real and you were manipulating me again, with the difference you went much further in this case?"

Upon hearing this, the red vixen is deeply ashamed, she lowers her head and looks down at the ground. However, Tails' gaze doesn't express anger, but is rather sympathetic.

"Fiona, I know you weren't playing with my feelings during the time we were together, I know our mutual love was real.  **Very**  real." Tails pauses. "I dunno if you remember it, but even after we've reconciled and started to be just friends, I still didn't trust you very much; I paid a lot of attention to what you were doing and how you were doing it, to know what you were actually thinking and feeling. But I realized you were actually loving me, and you were also feeling comfortable in our relationship."

_"And how are you so sure about that?"_

"Before you came back with us, I had consulted...  _experts in the field_. I learned to interpret others' voice tone and gestural language, as well as I learned to detect when someone is lying or trying to manipulate me."

_"And what kind of experts did you ask for advice?"_

"Sorry, but that's confidential information."

 _"Yeah, sure..."_  She looks to one side. It seems she's already starting to get fed up.

"Please, Fiona, tell me what the problem is. Whatever it is, I'll do everything in my power, and we will solve it together-"

_"STOP IT, MILES! Our courtship is over! We were living a dream! It didn't work, nor will it ever work!"_

"Why not?" He asks in a firm voice. "Who says our courtship is impossible?"

_"A year ago, I agreed to be your girlfriend 'cause I wasn't thinking clearly and I just wanted to be with you. Don't you remember what happened that time?"_

Tails starts to recall the facts...

* * *

[A year ago...]

In Fiona's hut, in Knothole, she's with Tails. The red vixen, sitting on a sofa, keeps her gaze on the floor next to her, avoiding looking at her friend.

"I'm... I'm sorry for what I did, really. I'm sorry... to have taken advantage of your feelings... to have become a criminal... to have ignored you and your abilities... to have treated you like a child... to have hit you..."

Fiona's lower lip starts to tremble involuntarily, which causes Tails to approach her and put a hand on her shoulder. Then, the vixen looks at Tails, showing her eyes full of tears but trying to contain them at all costs.

"I love you, Miles, I have to admit. I love you, literally. I'm a shit, but I wanna correct that. I wish we could have a relationship, even if it's a disaster in the end. All I want is... is to be with you. I was wrong about you, now I see who you really are, and I like you, and... and..."

Before she can finish speaking, Fiona can't take it anymore and lets her head fall, while she lets a few tears fall from her eyes. Tails puts his hand on Fiona's chin, makes her look at him again, and kisses her softly but passionately.

* * *

[Going back to the present...]

"Yeah... A few seconds ago, you said I'm naive. Did you say it 'cause I have hope and I believe in things that would seem impossible to anyone? 'Cause our courtship was no longer impossible, we had made it possible. 'Cause during all this last year, our courtship hadn't been a disaster at all, in spite of everything."

_"That doesn't matter anymore. On the other hand, you don't have a heart as pure as I once thought. If you hadn't been attracted to my physical appearance and my resemblance to Auto-Fiona, I'd have been invisible to you. Admit it."_

"Maybe you're right about that: when you were rescued by the Freedom Fighters and you and I met for the first time, I was consciously wanting to be someone better, but my decisions could have been unconsciously influenced... 'cause you were the most beautiful girl in Mobius, and also 'cause Auto-Fiona had been based on you. However, after we met again, when I was keeping an eye on you to make sure you were being honest, I knew a lot more about your personality, about how smart and foxy you were, and about many other things that have to do with how someone is inside; then my feelings for you stopped being just a childish fantasy and I really started to love you. I would still love you, even if you turned into someone as horrible as the witches in the stories Sally told me when I went to sleep." Tails pauses.

"Now, to start our courtship again, all we need is love." Then, he gulps.

"I still love you, I'll always love you. And you know it."

 _"Goodbye, Miles."_  Fiona answers with her voice breathy and her eyes wet.

Immediately afterwards, she ends the video-call, and Tails' computer's screen shows the typical color bars test pattern. He simply stares at the screen.

[ **Soundtrack:**   _Somethin' stupid_  –  **Carson Parks, version of Frank Sinatra & Nancy Sinatra**]

* * *

Going back to the New Marriott Hotel, in Empire City...

Rouge, who kept her ear pressed against the door of Fiona's room, closes her eyes and shakes her head from side to side after hearing everything. A few seconds later, she also hears how her girlfriend walks towards the door, and quickly moves away from there a few steps. When the vixen leaves her room, she meets with the she-bat, who apparently is walking around there casually.

"What are you doing here?" Fiona asks with a slightly accusing tone.

"Nothing, just coming out of the bathroom." Rouge answers pretending to be surprised. "Fiona, are you okay?"

"Of course."

("Fio is lying... But I'll not insist. When we kick Finitevus' ass once and for all, I'll solve this in a more discreet way.")

* * *

"Okay, now I'll tell you about my nefarious ancestors: the House of Dimitri, the Grandmasters that the Dark Legion had throughout its history."

"Then let's do a minute of silence." An apparently hurtful Procion speaks with a solemn tone of voice, as if he were the priest of a funeral. "In honor of Julie-Su, who will now undertake the difficult task of-"

"Stop it, Leo." Julie-Su says smiling. "I got over it a long time ago, I'll not break into tears when I tell you about my family."

"Oh, well... Go ahead."

"After Dimitri was defeated and presumed dead, Menniker, the son he had with his wife Cynthia-Wa, founded the Dark Legion. Initially, this army operated from outside the city, and its objectives were: first, to continue Dimitri's legacy and carry out his plan to return Angel Island to its original location on Downunda's surface; on the other hand, to be a resistance against the prohibition imposed on technology by the High Council. Their way of symbolizing this resistance was replacing some parts of their bodies with cybernetic implants."

"Return an island to its original place and fight against a decision taken without thinking carefully... It doesn't sound so bad." Armand says.

"Admittedly, they were noble goals, but the means they used were reprehensible: subjection of the population of the city, cheating, identity theft, kidnapping... And that's not to mention they did something as radical as the implants, even forcing others to put on those things. There were also some internal fights and betrayals between different dark legionaries trying to become Grandmasters, especially in recent years, and these leaders were almost always seeking power for themselves more than anything else."

"I thought I had heard the Dark Legion was in a parallel universe for most of its history, until the destruction of  _Doomsday_ , the original Robotnik's ultimate weapon." Antoine says.

"That's right: Menniker led the Dark Legion to make several incursions into Echidnaopolis, and the Guardian Edmund was killed during the first of them; then, Steppenwolf replaced his father, began training, and finally managed to use his newly acquired Chaos powers to teleport Menniker and his followers into a parallel universe where they had to be locked up; that universe is called 'The Twilight Zone'. For four centuries, the Dark Legion had to spend its entire existence there, although there were some attempts to return to Echidnaopolis, even after Guardian Hawking moved the city and its population to another parallel universe. When you destroyed  _Doomsday_ , there was a side effect: the interdimensional barriers weakened, and all those who inhabited Angel Island returned to it: Equidnaopolis and its echidna population, the city of Cavem Canus and its dingo population, and the Dark Legion; since then, the three groups settled definitively on the island."

"My son told me that something similar happened with other parallel universes at that moment." Amadeus adds. "For example: Scourge and the other members of the MSS were temporarily able to travel freely between Moebius and Mobius, because the barriers that separated both universes had also weakened."

"While we were in the Twilight Zone, time passed four times slower for us than for Mobius' inhabitants. When we returned to Angel Island, we had lived for a century in the Twilight Zone, but four centuries had already passed in Echidnaopolis, and its inhabitants hadn't been affected by having remained in a parallel universe for some centuries; so, there were few Grandmasters since the Dark Legion's founding to the present. Menniker and Vera-Lo's son, Moritori Rex, was the impostor who posed as Guardian Tobor while maintaining contact with the Dark Legion, which was still lurking from the Twilight Zone. Moritori Rex and Regi-Na's son, Luger, was a more relaxed and reserved leader than everyone else: he managed to take his people back to Mobius, but his wife Merin-Da became ill and he ordered an immediate return to the Twilight Zone; Merin-Da died anyway, and he was so affected that he devoted himself exclusively to his work and he barely paid attention to his two twin children, Kragok and Lien-Da."

" _Bon_... At least  _il_  tried to be a good husband." Antoine mentions.

"Later, Luger met Mari-Su of the House of Atrades."

"Mari-Su... A somewhat ominous name, isn't it?" Procion adds jokingly.

"Leo... Mari-Su was my mother."

"Oh... Huh... Hehe... Sorry." It's evident to others that Procion is nervous. However, Julie-Su doesn't look offended.

"Luger and Mari-Su fell in love with each other and they got married, and later I was born. But Kragok and Lien-Da didn't get along well with Mari-Su, they hated Luger 'cause he was almost always working and he seemed to be taking care of me exclusively during the little time he was present at home, and my two half siblings were especially ambitious as well. First, they killed Mari-Su and managed to make everyone think it was an accident, and then they ended up with Luger without a trace; later, it seems Kragok was smarter than Lien-Da, since he became a Grandmaster and she remained only a Kommissar. As for me, they saw me as a menace, so they used a device in my cybernetic implants to erase my memory when I was just a little girl, and then I was given up for adoption to Simon and Floren-Ca so they would take care of me; my step-parents were very good people, until they were also eliminated by my half siblings. Eventually I became a simple soldier of the Dark Legion..."

" _Et_  then Dimitri returned, as I remember."

"Yeah, Tony. He was presumed dead, but he returned shortly after we returned to Mobius, and he became Enerjak again. At that time, Kragok was being Grandmaster and Knuckles was just beginning to work as a Guardian; but then Kragok handed Dimitri the Dark Legion's command, and a new conflict between Echidnaopolis and the Dark Legion began. During that time, Knux and I met and... Well, you know the rest."

"And what happened to the rest of the Dark Legion after that war?" Armand asks.

"They remained active but in the shadows, Kragok died during the fight, Lien-Da remained a Kommissar, and Dimitri was stripped of his powers and was very weakened, but almost his whole body was replaced by cybernetics and he managed to remain the Grandmaster. I'm sure the only organic thing left of him is his brain kept inside his robotic head."

"Now that was a  **radical**  change..." Procion adds.

"When transforming into Enerjak, Dimitri had gone mad 'cause of that spirit's influence and the Chaos energy excess; however, when he lost all that energy, he began to weaken rapidly and need cybernetics to stay alive, and then his psyche began to heal again. Since then, he started to make attempts to reunite the Angel Island's echidnas through diplomacy; Lien-Da tried to secretly sabotage all these attempts, since she was and still is against the Echidna Reunification. In any case, the plans for a Reunification were truncated when the Dingoes conquered the island with Eggman's help."

"Wait a second." Fiona intervenes. "Your ancestors are the Dark Legion's founders, your boyfriend's ancestors are the first Guardians, and both are two branches of the same family. Wouldn't that mean the Dark Legion and the Brotherhood of Guardians could join when Knux and you ...?"

"No, Fiona, I really doubt it. I was just a soldier, now I'm a defector, and Lien-Da and the other dark legionaries will surely wanna see me dead just 'cause I betrayed them and I'm an enemy, especially now that they've allied with Eggman."

"But ain't those titles hereditary?"

"Even if I miraculously become the Grandmaster of  **what's left**  of the  _original_  Dark Legion, things don't work that way. Yes, both the title of Guardian and the  _original_  title of Grandmaster are hereditary, but these organizations ain't Monarchies: the Guardians ain't 'owners' of the Brotherhood, and a Grandmaster wasn't 'owner' of the Dark Legion either; neither was nor would be currently able to negotiate a marriage to reunite the echidnas that follow each of them, and it could always happen that one of the two titles is assumed by someone suitable but without any kinship with its predecessor. Anyway, that never mattered to Knux or me."

"Wait." Proción says. "Starting with the brothers Edmund and Dimitri, Knux belongs to the sixteenth generation."

"I guess so."

"And you belong to the fifth generation."

"Well... Yeah?"

"That means ... Wait, I'm doing math..."

"Lieutenant Proción, mathematics has nothing to do with family relationships." Armand says.

"General, maths doesn't only include numbers and geometry, but also a lot of things governed by logic but without numbers involved. For example: the strategies you use in a chess match."

The raccoon keeps thinking for a few seconds and muttering unintelligible things during the process, until...

"Julie-Su... You're your boyfriend's fourth cousin, twelve times removed!"

Everyone else, especially Julie-Su, is stunned. But the pink she-echidna quickly regains speech... more or less.

"So what?" She answers Procion defiantly. "Tails and Fiona are six years apart. Tails' parents are almost a decade apart."

"Yes, it's true. And also my parents were about two decades apart. But you and your boyfriend are  **twelve generations**  apart!" Procion's eyes are wide open, to the point that it's funny for some of those present. "You're of the same generation as Guardian Rembrandt, for God's sake! Something like that is too big to ignore."

Meanwhile, the former dark legionary gets increasingly annoyed.

"Congrats, Leo! You're pretty smart." Rouge intervenes in an attempt to calm things down. "What if Tails and you compete in the Mathematical Olympiad this year?"

Fiona complains loudly and rolls her eyes when she hears how her new girlfriend mentions Tails again.

Finally Antoine violently pushes the raccoon to the side.

"Don't pay attention to him,  _madame_." The coyote tells Julie-Su while making a forced smile. "Leonidas is easy to impress."

"Tony, you called Julie-Su  _madame_." Rouge calls attention to him. "She's  _mademoiselle_ , and you called her  _madame_. You're supposed to understand what that means."

Julie-Su looks alternately at the coyote and at the she-bat, and when she seems to understand what the former jewel thief was referring to, she immediately growls and throws herself at Antoine, who barely gets to dodge her but laughs anyway.

"Rouge, you spoiled my joke!" Antoine says between laughs.

Meanwhile, Amadeus helps Julie-Su get up from the floor, while she's still furious.

"Please, relax." The  _Marshal_  tells her. "They're just jokes, they don't have any bad intentions, Madam- Um, sorry,  _Miss_."

Upon hearing the war veteran fox, Julie-Su gives him a threatening look. Suddenly, Commander Tower appears on the screen.

_"Attention, team! We have a new Finitevic activity alert."_

"Where?" Amadeus asks.

_"In New Guernsey District."_

**"WHAT?!"**

It would be a euphemism to say that the she-bat is very concerned.

"What happens, Rouge?"

"Amadeus... New Guernsey is a District of Empire City, in the eastern margin of the strait, just opposite the Empire Island, where we are now."

_"And that's why this mission is especially urgent, Marshal."_


	10. Chapter 9: Lastditch mission in the big city.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter:
> 
> Serious problems have arisen: Doctor Finitevus's army is in one of the main cities of the United Federation, very close to where Amadeus and his companions are. The team will have to act quickly and desperately and succeed in its new mission before it's too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm deeply sorry for the delay. It happens I was very busy with real life things again, even more than on any previous occasion. Besides, I spent free time watching other things (RWBY, Star Trek series, the British comic of Sonic) and "documenting" on various topics for my next stories of this series.
> 
> But at least there's something good... Now I have more material inspiring me to write!

Amadeus: [upset] "Are you saying there's a Finitevic division operating  **in front of us**? Are they here, in this same city-State?!"

Amadeus Prower's team is assembled in a suite at the New Marriott Hotel, on Empire Island, in the city-state of Empire City, where it's 5:05 PM The Chief of GUN, Abraham Tower, is communicating with them by video-call from GUN's HQ, where it's 4:05 PM

Tower: [via video-call, regretfully] "I regret to say yes and that the Finitevics could have been there for quite some time."

Lightning: "What's your basis for saying that? Were they hid?"

Tower: [via video-call] "Indeed. According to our reports, they may be in the sewers."

Nic: "Wait a sec: Is it still not confirmed at all?"

Tower: [via video-call] *sigh* "I'll tell you the whole story. In principle, it reached our ears that New Guernsey's residents denounced intense disgusting odors apparently emanating from the subsoil; Hope devised some tiny drones we sent to investigate, and we discovered evidence that the GFA was operating recently in the sewers, conducting experiments there that caused this abnormal stench. At the same time, we detected high levels of energy emitted from certain points of this district's subsoil; when Hope calibrated the drones' devices to know what this energy was, we discovered it was an energy signature similar to the technology of an alien empire whose existence we already knew."

Proción: "The Xordas?"

Tower: [via video-call] "No. The so-called 'Black Arms'."

As soon as Shadow and Rouge hear the name "Black Arms", they look at each other while staying serious. The others are also visibly surprised and worried, except in the case of the  _Marshal_ , who arches an eyebrow as a sign that... well, that he understands absolutely nothing.

Amadeus: " _Black Arms_? Who are they?"

Shadow: "Rouge and I can tell you. But it may take a while."

* * *

A few seconds later, the ten mobians are sitting in a circle around a table. Near them, there's a hologram of the Commander Tower.

Rouge: "Fifty years ago, the then President of the United Federation launched the 'Shadow Project', carried out on the Space Station ARK and directed by Professor Gerald Robotnik, an ancestor of Eggman."

Amadeus: "Space Station ARK? I think I've heard about it..."

Rouge: "The  _Shadow Project_  was intended to create an "untimate lifeform", supposedly for humanity to investigate immortality, but it also sought to create a formulaable to be used in war; on the other hand, Gerald sought to use the immortality's investigation to develop a cure for the NIDS suffered by his granddaughter, Maria Robotnik. That's when the  _Black Arms_  appeared: they were a powerful alien empire that inhabited a mothership called 'Black Comet' and whose individuals were mentally linked to each other, to such an extent that they practically formed a single entity united by a 'hive-mind'. The  _Black Arms_ ' 'leader',  _Black Doom_ , offered the Professor a sample of his own genetic code as a contribution to the  _Shadow Project_ , on the condition that seven Chaos Emeralds were given to him fifty years later, when the  _Black Comet_  passes by Mobius again; but it seems Gerald soon realized  _Black Doom_  wanted to conquer us, and he began to make some preparations: He re-configured the Eclipse Cannon, a powerful weapon installed in the ARK, as a weapon specially made to face an invasion of the  _Black Arms_ , and he also prepared other things for Shadow to save the world when they return."

Shadow: "However, there were...  _drawbacks_ : GUN, which at that time was much more corrupt and obscure than at present, intervened militarily in the ARK; during the intervention, Maria was cruelly murdered, and she used her last strength to put me in stasis and send me in an escape pod to Mobius' surface..."

The "Ultimate Lifeform" is silent for a few seconds and keeps his look lost. Rouge puts a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he answers with a half smile and speaks again.

Shadow: "As for Gerald, he was arrested, and after learning of Maria's death, he plotted a plan of revenge against humanity: the Eclipse Cannon required seven Chaos Emeralds to reach its maximum firepower, but when someone put the seven Emeralds in the weapon's core, the ARK would crash into Mobius and cause a worldwide catastrophe; in writing his memoirs, Gerald avoided revealing information about the self-destruct system, expecting GUN or some other human to activate the weapon and carry out his revenge instead of himself."

Rouge: "Fifty years after what happened in the ARK, about two and a half months after the original Ivo Robotnik's Fall, Snively found Gerald Robotnik' memoirs and also Shadow's capsule, and then he tried to resurrect his uncle's empire by using Shadow and the Eclipse Cannon powered with Chaos Emeralds; of course, that put the late Professor's revenge plan into action. Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles and I convinced Shadow to help us, and Sonic and Shadow became their Super forms and teleported the ARK to a place where it would not hurt anyone, but Shadow had to sacrifice to achieve it and he almost died. [adopts a relaxed and cheerful tone] Finally, I found him, we both met Omega, the three of us helped deal with a Metal Sonic that had somehow gotten a personality of its own and wanted to conquer the world, and then we started working for GUN as the Team Dark."

Nic: "But if fifty years have passed since the  _Black Arms_ ' arrival, then they shouldn't be returning to Mobius right now? Maybe they contacted Finitevus, lent their technology t him, and now Finitevus has weapons much more advanced than we expected to find."

Rouge: "Don't worry about it, girl-"

Nic: [a little upset] "Don't call me that."

Rouge: [pauses and continues] "The  _Black Arms_  have already made their return to Mobius... [somewhat cocky] And we've already disrupted their plans."

Lightning: "How?"

Shadow: "First of all: I'm a Mobian-Black Arm hybrid, so I had a link with the mind-hive of that species; despite this, I've been and still am able to make my own decisions and think independently of the mind-hive, unlike that empire's other individuals, who were little more than mere extensions of the will of their "leader". A month and a half after we stopped the plans of Professor Gerald Robotnik,  _Black Doom_  he made telepathic contact with me, he warned me that the  _Black Comet_  was approaching Mobius and he tried to convince me to work as his best agent and prepare everything for his arrival; I decided to follow the game, and I picked up the seven Chaos Emeralds that Gerald had promised to deliver-"

Antoine: "Wait a moment, I'm trying to locate the events in a timeline.  _En ce moment_ , Tails  _et_   _vous_  had already gathered the Chaos Emeralds of the universe; there was no longer an abundance of Emeralds, and the only Emeralds existing were the seven that we all know, one of each color.  _Ai-je raison_?"

Shadow: "Yes, it is. [resumes the story] However, then I turned against  _Black Doom_ , became my Super form, fought with him in his  _Devil Doom_ form, and defeated him; then, I teleported the Black Comet to a place away from Mobius, teleported myself into the ARK, and used the Eclipse Cannon to destroy the  _Black Comet_."

Nic: [looks bored] "What a lovely story... But that still doesn't explain how there can be  _Black Arms_ ' technology in Finitevus' hands."

Lightning: "Perhaps the GFA found the remains of some vessel of that race."

Tower: [via hologram] "They couldn't have found anything useful: when Shadow destroyed the  _Black Comet_ , all the vessels and other machines of the  _Black Arms_  self-destructed."

Procion: "But before that happened, GUN surely got to gather information about the  _Black Arms_  and their technology. That information was what allowed you to know that this residual energy found in New Guernsey's sewers was from some machine of those aliens."

Tower: [via hologram] "That's right: we got to know a little about the  _Black Arms_  before their machines self-destructed. But this information was kept secure and the rogue soldiers weren't in such a high position to know that data, so Finitevus couldn't have had access to our research on the  _Black Arms_."

Julie-Su: "And that only leaves us with only one option: the  _Black Arms_  -or whatever is left of them- are collaborating with Finitevus."

Armand: [thoughtful] "I really doubt it."

Tower: [via hologram] "Why do you say it, General?"

Armand: "That  _Black Comet_ 's destruction by Agent Shadow would have been a very hard blow for those  _Black Arms_ , so the logical option for them would be to hide in some distant place in the universe, to return to their homeworld or to travel to some planet still under their control, in order to rebuild their military forces. On the other hand, any military item that the GFA had invented would look like Stone Age technology compared to the technology of those aliens, and at this very moment, helping Finitevus in his plans for world conquest wouldn't do any good for the  _Black Arms_. Finally, those aliens would surely wish to take revenge on Shadow and any civilization on Mobius, so they would rather let themselves be carried away by rage and invade our world directly, something much less complicated and costly than collaborating with Finitevus' plans and then betraying him."

Fiona: "Shouldn't we do a mission right now, defeat whoever is hiding in New Guernsey sewers, investigate what's going on, and then take action?"

Amadeus: [stands up suddenly] "You're absolutely right, Fiona: we don't have time to lose, and it'll be better if we take that division of the GFA by surprise. [to Tower] Commander: we need the most detailed plans of New Guernsey that you can get."

Tower: [VIA hologram] "Whatever you need, Amadeus. I'll see if I can get plans for both the surface and the subsoil."

The GUN's Chief's hologram disappears.

Amadeus: [to Shadow, Nic, Lightning, Julie-Su, Procion and Armand] "Reinforcement Team: it's better that you don't come to this mission. I'd prefer to continue counting on you when there's a riskier mission or when we have to give the  _coup de grâce_  to the GFA. If Fiona, Antoine, Rouge and I need your help in New Guernsey, we'll call you."

Reinforcements: [in unison] "Got it."

The hologram of the overlander military leader reappears in the suite. At the same time, some files arrive at the computer.

Tower: [via hologram] "Here are the plans. The red triangles indicate the places where neighbors reported that bad odors were emanating."

The ten mobians approach the screen and occasionally mutter things while watching the plans. After a minute, Amadeus points to a place on the maps: that's where there's more concentration of red triangles.

Amadeus: "Shadow, can you teleport us to  **this**  location?"

Shadow: "Of course."

Amadeus: "Excellent. Let's prepare as quickly as possible."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later...

In a tunnel connected to New Guernsey's sewer system, two male mobian rats are next to a computer. They have dark gray fur, they wear a strange black uniform with gold edges and a gold F on the chest's left side, and they also wear masks covering mouth and nose. One of them is a Private, while the other is a Sergeant.

Suddenly, some kind of alarm sounds on the computer. The Private looks at that alert, and addresses his superior.

"Sergeant, there's a Chaos energy peak on the surface, near here."

"Let me see that."

The soldier steps aside and the Sergeant looks at the screen. Then, the latter goes running through the tunnels while being followed by his subordinate, who evidently doesn't understand what's happening.

Finally, the Sergeant arrives at a room where several mobians and humans are gathered. All of them are dressed in similar uniforms and chatting relatively relaxed.

"Prepare the defenses! Quick!" The rat Sergeant orders.

"What's wrong, Mark?" A human, also with the rank of Sergeant, asks him.

"Harold, do you remember the boss' warning?"

"What? Has that Chaos energy peak already occurred?"

"So is."

"Where? Near here?"

Mark nods, and Harold addresses the others in a calm but serious tone.

"They may have discovered us. Do what the rat said: prepare the defenses. And also give the order to evacuate."

Everyone goes to their posts. Meanwhile, Harold makes a call with his cell phone.

_"Respect the cycle of life regardless of the consequences."_

"And let life be born, be destroyed and be reborn."

_"Password correct."_

"I'm Sergeant Harold from the New Guernsey Division. I must communicate an urgent message to the High Leader. Code: Vengeful."

_"Understood."_

After half a minute, the voice on the other side of the phone line comes back.

_"The High Leader orders to execute the Contingency Plan for New Guernsey."_

"To the order. Hail the Great Finitevic Army."

_"Hail the Evolution."_

* * *

Meanwhile, on the surface...

Five silhouettes made of green light appear in an alley of New Guernsey, about three blocks from the coast. These five silhouettes are revealed as Amadeus, Fiona, Antoine, Rouge and Shadow, who already have their usual equipment and uniforms.

Amadeus: "Alright, we must be quick from now on. About three blocks away is the entrance to an abandoned subway tunnel; according to the plans, we can access the sewers going in that direction-"

_KA-BOOM!_

A big explosion sounds in the distance.

Antoine: [surprised] " _Que diable_?!"

Shadow: "I'll find out what's happening."

The black hedgehog teleports immediately, and then reappears with his teammates.

Shadow: "There was an attack on a skyscraper on Empire Island. I got to see the barrel of a weapon hiding in the watersof the Eastern Strait."

Rouge: "It seems that Finitevus already discovered us,  _Marshal_."

Fiona: "And his army also has some submarine with a very powerful weapon ready in case things get difficult for them."

Antoine: [frustrated] " _Au revoir_ , surprise factor-" [his ear moves, and he tries to listen better]

Fiona: [worried momentarily, but relieved immediately afterwards] "The New Marriott Hotel ain't in a skyscraper, so our friends are fine."

Amadeus: "Anyway, since we've already been discovered, we'll have to attack with all our strength."

Antoine: [turns his attention to his companions again] "We weren't discovered only: Finitevus will try to conquer this city  _ou_  destroy it."

Shadow: "How do you know?"

Antoine: "Refined hearing.  _Tu te souviens_?"

Amadeus, Fiona and Rouge try to listen better, and they can hear what the coyote had heard: many machine guns firing continuously, some explosions, people running and screaming in terror, soldiers "barking" orders, and even helicopters firing into the city and a cargo plane flying over it. They look up: indeed, some small helicopters are flying over them, and a cargo plane is dropping paratroopers.

The war veteran fox activates his communicator and calls the Reinforcement Team.

Amadeus: "Hello? Anyone there? Are you okay?"

Julie-Su:  _"We're all fine, Marshal. We already know what happens in New Guernsey. Do you want us to intervene?"_

Amadeus: "Yes, Shadow will teleport to bring you all here."

Julie-Su:  _"Got it."_

Amadeus: [turns off the communicator, and addresses Shadow] "I want you six to split into two teams: you'll go with Nic Weasel and Lightning Lynx, and the other team will be formed by Julie-Su, Lieutenant Procion and General Armand. The two teams will teleport to locations far from us and far from each other, but in such a way that the three teams can meet simultaneously at the entrance to the abandoned subway tunnel that I mentioned. You'll have to be a sort of taxi driver again, taking each team to their locations, so make sure everyone arrives in a well hidden alley just like us. Once y'all arrive at their respective destinations, advance through the streets quickly and destroy anyone who gets in your way."

Shadow: "Understood."

The self-proclaimed "Ultimate Lifeform" teleports himself as soon as he finishes speaking.

Antoine: "We need the other two teams to distract the Finitevics  _et_  have them split up. Until our  _compagnons_  arrive, we can't go to fight: those thugs would be too many for us, they would crush us.  _Alors_ , what do we do while we're waiting?"

* * *

In a humble apartment in a building of New Guernsey, someone knocks softly on the door that gives access to the fire escape. An elderly human woman walks cautiously towards the door and opens it in the same way, but she's surprised to find four mobians dressed in strange uniforms.

Fiona: [polite] "Good afternoon, ma'am. Do you allow us to stay at your house for a few minutes, please?"

To say that the old woman was confused would be a euphemism.

* * *

Ten minutes later...

The street is full of Finitevic soldiers, both of the human race and Mobian races. However, most of them are running at that same moment to some other place in the city; now, this street is almost empty, except for the cars parked next to the sidewalk.

Next to a taxi, there's a group of Mobians affiliated with the GFA, and two of them are talking. One is a toad with rank of Private soldier, and the other is a salamander Corporal.

Toad Private: "What's going on? Why are everyone dispersing?"

Salamander Corporal: "There's a bunch of morons over there, they think they're a clandestine Resistance. Surely it's nothing-"

_BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!_

All the Finitevic soldiers of that group, each with a bullet hole in the head, fall to the ground while Rouge, with a gun in each hand, watches the corpses from the terrace of a building.

Rouge: [via communicator] "All ready."

[ **Soundtrack:**   _New Godokin Street_  –  **Metal Slug 2/X OST** ]

About three blocks away, Fiona and Antoine suddenly leave a coffee shop on the ground floor of the building where they had been hiding only a while ago, surprising a group of former GUN soldiers. The vixen and the coyote immediately fire their weapons at them, and in just two seconds, all the soldiers are pierced by arrows or electrocuted. Amadeus leaves the alley next to the building, and when another group of Finitevic soldiers see him and prepares to shoot him from behind a off-road van, the  _Marshal_  gives them no break: he takes out a big rocket launcher and shoots at the off-road van itself, and its explosion annihilates all the soldiers near it.

When that portion of the street is clear, the she-bat keeps its pistols, falls from the terrace and lands on the taxi's roof using her wings to soften the fall. When more soldiers run to her and prepare to shoot at her, she pulls out her modified Uzi and shoots at them without hesitation, killing several with her hollow-tipped uranium bullets. The others start firing, but Rouge hides behind another car while Amadeus and Antoine draw their sabers and lash out at them, and Fiona sneaks off to a large military truck.

Fiona: [opens the truck's door, takes a look inside, and smiles broadly] "Jackpot." [gets in the truck, and closes the door behind her]

The fox's and the coyote's sabers kill half of the Finitevic soldiers, while the rest flee. However, two unmanned tanks, with the  _Prower Slug_ 's traction system, turn a corner and get in the two mobians's way, and Rouge is chased by a helicopter that starts firing with its machine gun.

Suddenly, the military truck where Fiona had gone explodes, and now there's in its place a  _Prower Slug Mk 1_  in perfect condition, whose cannon fired recently by Fiona is smoking. The tank fires another two cannon bullets, which destroy the Finitevic tanks; the helicopter stops chasing Rouge and flies to the ground, but when it's about to shoot the  _Prower Slug_ , Antoine shoots an explosive arrow directly at the cockpit and knocks it down.

Once the street seems to be clear, the tank crouches, revealing the hatch at the bottom.

Fiona: [from inside the  _Prower Slug_ , via communicator] "Antoine, enter and drive the tank."

The coyote jumps and gets into the tank through the hatch, and the vehicle returns to its normal position and begins to move through the streets.

Right after the command group turns right in a corner, two Finitevic helicopters fall on them and start firing at them; Rouge flies and ascends even higher, and Amadeus hides behind the tank. To make matters worse, soldiers begin to approach them as they prepare to use grenades. However, the  _Prower Slug_  accelerates to the max and runs over the soldiers before they can respond, and then it quickly backs away to finish off another group of soldiers, who had just left a pet store where they were hiding; Rouge distracts the helicopters' pilots, causing one of them to pursue it; while the tank moves, Amadeus remains clinging to the turret's side.

The helicopter that futilely chased Rouge points at the tank again, but Antoine shoots at it with one of the  _Prower Slug_ 's gun pods in Machine Gun Mode, and destroys it; at the same time, the  _Marshal_  prepares his modified Uzi and shoots at the other helicopter's cockpit, knocking it down.

After advancing about two more blocks, they turn around a corner. They meet several soldiers carrying improvised shields, as well as three helicopters...

_RA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA!_

_**BOOM!** _

" _Argh!" "Urgh!" "Argh!" "YYYEEEOOOWWWWW!"_

_**BOOM!** _

_PUM!_

_**KA-BOOM!** _

But they're quickly destroyed by the quartet.

Fiona: "The villains are all the same: no-one knows how to put together a more or less decent army."

After crossing a street, the commando group arrives at a small ravine that leads to the abandoned subway tunnel. Next to it, there's a big apple tree, and a few hundred meters away is the boulevard of the Eastern Strait coast, from which it can be seen Empire Island; there's a not very thick fog formed on the water's surface, the top of a skyscraper is smoking because of the Finitevic submarine's attack, and there's even a suspicious small UFO that briefly crosses the sky.

Suddenly, when the mobians are about to enter the tunnel, two helicopters surprise them by coming out of the tunnel and preparing to attack; however, Antoine quickly makes the  _Prower Slug_  jump, and Fiona fires the cannon at the same time.

_PUM!_

The tank doesn't jump at a great height, but the helicopters are very close to the ground and very close to each other. When the  _Prower Slug_  fires, the bullet hits one of the helicopters and shatters it.

_**BOOM!** _

The other helicopter is damaged and pushed by the explosion, and it's destroyed when it hits the wall on the tunnel's entrance's side.

_**BOOM!** _

A "wheeled wall" appears at the tunnel's entrance, and a helicopter arrives from each side too; now the mobians are almost completely surrounded, the  _Prower Slug_  doesn't work very well as a hiding place for Amadeus, and to top it off, a missile comes from who-knows-where and starts to chase Rouge. Then, the tank retreats and gets to go back up the ravine, avoiding the spherical mines dropped by the "wheeled wall"; the tank is an easy target for the helicopters, but not for long: Antoine activates the Missile Launcher Mode of both gun pods again, and starts firing guided missiles at each of the two helicopters as quickly as possible, destroying them before their pilots can even think about firing.

Meanwhile, Rouge flies directly to the front of the "wheeled wall", but she brakes right in front of its cannon. When the missile that was chasing her is already very close, the she-bat suddenly flies up at full speed, letting the missile hit the cannon's mouth and destroy the vehicle.

Antoine: [makes the  _Prower Slug_  crouch, and peeks through the hatch] " _Voilà_! Now, dare to challenge the best invention of-!"

Fiona suddenly activates the coyote's seat's ejection system, who goes flying from the hatch.

Antoine:  **"WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH...!"**

Luckily, Rouge picks him up in the air and returns him to the ground with a soft landing.

Fiona: [from inside the  _Prower Slug_ ] "I hope it has served as a lesson for y'all not to mention you-know-who again."

* * *

Half a minute later, the members of the Reinforcement Team arrive at the site, and they find their four teammates waiting for them in front of the tunnel's entrance while eating apples from the tree.

Shadow: "Sorry for the delay. Several times I had to prevent these two... [points to his left, not knowing there's no-one there] from starting to kiss each other in the middle of this mission."

Fiona: "Who two?"

The "Ultimate Lifeform" looks at his left. Seeing that there's no-one there, he walks behind the apple tree, and returns carrying Nic and Lightning by their ears.

Nic: [with an evident grimace of pain] "Ow, ow, ow! What the f*** is wrong with you? Can't we have a little fun together?"

Lightning: [disguises his pain] "Listen well, Nic... The pain is... only in your mind- [Shadow twists his ear even more]  **OOOOOUCH!** "

Finally, the black and red hedgehog releases them.

Nic: [sarcastic, rubbing her ear] "Thank you..." [ _sotto voce_ ] "Asshole."

Rouge: "Shadow was right . Even I know I mustn't mix business with pleasure."

Shadow: [serious, as always] "This isn't a business, it's a very important mission in a war."

Fiona: [jaded] "It was a metaphor."

Antoine: " _Eh bien_ , we're all here. Now let's end with this Finitevic division."

* * *

A couple of minutes later, in the abandoned subway tunnel...

[ **Soundtrack:**   _Kiss in the dark_  –  **Metal Slug 2 OST** ]

_**BOOM!**  BANG! BANG! RA-TA-TA-TA-TA!  **KA-BOOM!**_

In this tunnel, much wider than other subway tunnels usually are, lit by series of orange red lamps, large pieces of war vehicles are flying through the air: the Finitevics had brought tanks, their remaining helicopters, and even empty wagons without brakes, but none of this served to stop the advance of Amadeus Prower's commandos. The team arrives at a wall, where there's a large armored door with a "Do not pass" sign, in a place where the subway rails turn to the left; meanwhile, the soldiers run terrified by other narrower tunnels.

Lightning: [pointing to the soldiers running away] "Shall we chase them? Shadow and I can run, deal with them quickly and come back-"

Fiona: "No, let's let them go. They can't do anything else anymore; GUN will capture them sooner or later, on the surface."

Shadow hears something, via communicator.

Shadow: "The recaptured  _Prower Slug_  is already insured in a facility of GUN. The troops have regained full control of the invaded districts of Empire City."

Amadeus: "Okay, tell them we'll deal with the Finitevic base in the subsoil: the few remaining enemy soldiers could put up a lot of resistance in such a small place, and the intervention of the whole army wouldn't help at all."

Nic: "So... Shall we enter?"

* * *

[ **Soundtrack:**   _Metamorphosis_  –  **Metal Slug 2/X/3 OST** ]

The ten mobians are in the sewers, walking alongside the flow of sewage. This section of the sewers was used by the GFA, whose soldiers installed weak green lamps there. Rouge is walking very carefully, her face expressing disgust in a more than obvious way.

Shadow: [whispering] "I know that wars are dirty, but was it really necessary for the Finitevics to install their base in a sewer?"

The others look at him with serious faces.

Shadow: [whispering] "I tried to make a joke, so that this is more bearable and less stressful and depressing. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Rouge: [whispering] "Well, the intention is what counts."

Lightning: [whispering] "That joke about the war was not funny."

Fiona: [whispering, although with some difficulty due to the tone she's using] "You don't like anything, Lightning."

Rouge: [trying to whisper, even with some success] "You're one to talk: since you broke up with Tails, nothing makes you funny either."

Fiona: [trying to whisper and failing miserably] "Cut it out, Rouge! ¡Or I'll blow your head with the laser shotgun!"

Nic: [sarcastic, to Procion, trying to whisper and having great success, despite everything] "That was also invented by Tails, right?"

Procion: [whispering] "Not really. The laser shotgun was invented by a colleague of Tails who works as an Independent Freedom Fighter: she's affiliated with the International but doesn't belong to any team of any country. She's a canary girl, she calls herself 'Technic' or something."

Antoine: [whispering] "Tekno.  _Et_   _elle_  is not a canary."

Procion: [whispering] "Tails said she is."

Antoine: [whispering] "I met Tekno in person:  _elle_  is green, not yellow."

Procion: [whispering] "There are also green canaries."

Julie-Su: [to everyone else, whispering] "Please,  _children_ , can we continue the mission without having more stupid discussions? We look like panelists of a gossip TV program."

Rouge: [whispering] "Yes, Julie-Su is right. All this started because you couldn't forgive poor Shady for trying to make a joke."

Everyone else tries to hold back the laughter, while Shadow  _almost_  (take that "almost" very seriously) looks embarrassed.

Amadeus: [whispering, trying to keep a straight face] " _Shady_?"

Armand: [whispering, holding back the laugh with much more success] "That would serve very well as a codename: in that way, the enemy intelligence services would lower their guard to think that we're sending a complete idiot."

Antoine: [whispering, trying to hold back the laugh] "Shadow Hedgehog, Agent of GUN's Team Dark, Knight of the New Legion of Honour of Mercia, awarded several times with the Bronze Medal for Bravery... Codename: Shady."

Shadow: [with a sly smile, whispering] "It doesn't sound so bad...  _Anty_."

Now everyone laughs at the coyote, while he  _almost_  looks embarrassed, like Shadow a few seconds ago.

Finally they arrive at a large armored door, hermetically sealed, installed at the side of the tunnel.

Amadeus: "Time to end stealth."

Fiona nods, pulls out a laser shotgun and, after about four shots, completely destroys the armored door. The ten immediately start to run with their weapons and powers ready, but after walking a few meters, they stop and are thunderstruck by what approaches them.

Nic: "What the f***?! Mutants of the sewers?!"

They're several humanoid beings, dark grayish skin, with fragile bodies and almost devoid of muscle, but very skilled and even faster, that always walk on four legs (not using the knees, but using arms and legs almost as if they were lizards) and even walk on the walls and roof.

Armand: "My robian scanners detect that these mutants were once people. Besides, according to the United Federation's Database, these mutants are humans who disappeared from Empire City in recent days."

Julie-Su: "We must save 'em. Let's stun 'em."

The pink echidna puts her double-barreled proton gun in Stun Mode, and keeping a certain distance, she shoots at the head of one of the mutants; but the mutant is not stunned, but stops walking, changes its skin's color to a bright orange red, and then explodes splashing some kind of very acidic substance. The Mobians are shocked for a second, despite having seen worse things before.

Fiona: "Surely these were the subjects of the experiments made by the Finitevics."

Amadeus: [disturbed] "We have to kill them."

Everyone looks at him as if they were saying "What the heck?! Can't you think of anything better?"

Amadeus: "It's the only way to cross this place and dismantle the Finitevic base."

Antoine: "Then let's do it. [to the mutants]  _Mes plus sincères excuses_..."

The commando group advances as quickly as possible while using their weapons and powers to kill any mutant who approaches from any direction, although they try to make casualties minimal. Pointing at the heads of the unfortunate victims of the experiments, the mobians prevent them from reacting and turning into acid bombs about to explode. Some mutants explode when being shot in other parts of their bodies, but mobians stay away so that no acid explosion affects them. Lightning contributes using his shuriken and his kunai, since his melee skills are useless now.

The ten agents arrive at a lattice, behind which the mutants are even more concentrated, while some mutants approach the mobians from behind. To prevent the creatures from reaching them, Rouge puts explosives on the lattice and blows it up.

Armand: "Excuse me..."

The Robian turns his right arm into a powerful laser weapon, which he uses to destroy the mutants approaching them. The team continues to advance as Antoine's father "cleans the way".

Soon they find another lattice, and in front of it there's a vehicle that matches the description Tails had made of the  _Prowernoid_.

Nic: "A humanoid machine, with a cannon installed right  _between the legs_... Better Tails explain what the hell he did here."

Antoine: "I'll drive the  _Prowernoid_."

The young coyote enters the cockpit, closes it and uses the side laser machine guns to weaken the gate and kill some of the mutants trying to pass from the other side; he's helped by Amadeus and Rouge, who use a laser shotgun and a plasma-thrower respectively.

Once the lattice is destroyed, the  _Prowernoid_  jumps at high altitude (avoiding hitting the roof, of course) and at a great distance; while in the air, Antoine uses the cannon to fire an incendiary bullet at the mutants below him. The creatures are quickly consumed by fire, and after some more jumps and shots of the  _Prowernoid_ , the path is free for Amadeus' team.

Just before reaching another lattice, the Mobians find two other vehicles captured by the Finitevics: a  _Prower Slug Mk 1_  and a second  _Prowernoid_.

Fiona: "Julie-Su and I will use the tank: this time, she'll fire the cannon and I'll drive."

Procion: "Okay, I'll take this  _Prowernoid_."

The three get into their respective vehicles and use their weapons to eliminate the mutants, which are already starting to appear in a lower concentration. The  _Prower Slug_  makes a shot with its cannon, and the lattice is destroyed.

After crossing the destroyed lattice, the team no longer sees mutants, but they find Mobian gray rats dressed in Finitevic uniforms. Surprised that the commando group arrived ahead of schedule, the rodents deploy a "whelled wall", but Nic puts her hand behind her back, pulls a portable rocket launcher out of nowhere and fires rockets incessantly until the vehicle is destroyed.

The road leads back to the sewers proper. There, the GFA had built three platforms similar to piers, parallel to the walls and about 100 meters long; they're numbered from one to three, from left to right. The Finitevic troops had also made the sewers much wider, taller and deeper, as if they were storing ships in that facility; from the water's surface to the piers' floor, there are about 12 meters, and it's likely that the water has a similar depth.

In each "pier", there are two tanks with the  _Prower Slug_ 's traction system, driven by computer; one of the two tanks goes down a ramp towards the mobians, and the other waits behind it. Julie-Su and Fiona use the  _Prower Slug_  to destroy one of the tanks, and Nic destroys another with the rocket launcher; Lightning dodges the third tank's shots, climbs on it and puts a bomb between the turret and the tank, destroying it.

On Pier One, there's a third  _Prowernoid_  waiting, but one of the three remaining tanks is guarding it. Rouge flies at full speed above the tank and lands inside the humanoid vehicle's cockpit, and then he uses that machine to jump over the tank again and shoot an incendiary bullet from above; the bullet pierces the armor and explodes inside the cockpit, wrapping the tank in flames and also making explode the fuel tank. Shadow and Armand go up to Piers Two and Three respectively, and each destroys one of the remaining tanks with great ease.

Fiona: [from inside the  _Prower Slug_ , via communicator] "And now what?"

Almost as if they were answering to the red vixen, three submarines emerge from the waters: each of them is located to the right of each pier and parallel to them. They're rather compact submarines: they measure about 30 meters long, 10 meters wide and 10 meters high, and have orange and red armor, aerodynamic shape of futuristic style and with smooth curves, ailerons similar to those of an airplane in the stern, a tower in the prow but not in its very tip, and a big hemispherical thing embedded just behind the tower.

Fiona: [from inside the  _Prower Slug_ , via communicator] "Me and my big mouth..."

Shadow: [pointing to the hemisphere on one of the submarines] "That's its main weapon! One of these submarines used it to shoot at that skyscraper on Empire Island!"

Julie-Su: [from inside the  _Prower Slug_ , via communicator] "I'm watching them through the periscope. Seems they're preparing to set sail."

Armand: [uses robian improved vision to see at a greater distance] "There are three gates 200 meters from here! Soon they'll open and let the submarines pass!"

Amadeus: [via communicator, speaks quickly but without ceasing to be understandable] "We must separate. Fiona, Julie-Su: go with the  _Prower Slug_  to Pier One. Shadow, Armand: stay where you were. Rouge: stay on Pier One with your  _Prowernoid_. Antoine: go with your  _Prowernoid_  to Pier Three, next to your father. Procion: go with your  _Prowernoid_  to Pier Two, next to Shadow. Nic, Lightning: get together with Shadow and Procion. I'll fight with Antoine and Armand. Do whatever it takes for none of those three submarines to get out of here."

Prepared for battle, the ten mobians with their respective machines separate and climb to the piers: Rouge's  _Prowernoid_  and Fiona's and Julie-Su's  _Prower Slug_ , on Pier One; Procion's  _Prowernoid_ , Shadow, Nic and Lightning, on Pier Two; Antoine's  _Prowernoid_ , Amadeus and Armand, on Pier Three.

[ **Soundtrack:**   _Aquatic Boss Battle_  –  **Freedom Planet OST** ]

The submarines' hemispheres turn around, revealing inside each one a strange short cannon, which is always pointing upwards; the guns and the area around them start to shine in multiple colors intermittently, until each gun fires a spherical bullet of high-energy particles, which also shines in multiple colors. The three bullets travel quickly in a straight line towards Rouge's, Procion's and Antoine's vehicles, who barely get to jump and dodge; when jumping, each  _Prowernoid_  shoots an incendiary bullet at the main weapon of its respective submarine, but the hemisphere of each one turns around again, guarding the cannon.

At Pier One, Rouge gains such control over her  _Prowernoid_  that she can keep firing as she jumps the entire length of the pier and dodges the bullets. Meanwhile, the  _Prower Slug_ 's cannon fires common cannonballs, which then fall and hit several points of the submarine; the guns do a considerable damage, but it doesn't seem to be enough.

At Pier Two, Lightning jumps on the submarine and tries to look for weak points, but the cannon is deployed again and shoots the lynx; he jumps and grabs the wall, but the cannon shoots again and again and he has to keep jumping from one wall to the other until he finally manages to climb to the pier's floor. Shadow unleashes a rain of Chaos spears, but the cannon is stored again and the rest of the ship is damaged but not enough, although the black and red hedgehog does get to destroy the ailerons.

At Pier Three, Antoine fires an arrow with a liquid helium capsule; the submarine's armor freezes and becomes fragile like glass, and just a few seconds later, the young coyote fires his  _Prowernoid_ 's cannon aft while his father jumps into the ship and tries to drill the armor at the stern; however, the submarine hardly suffers damages: it had warmed up gradually until recovering its normal temperature, and so, recovering also its resistance. At that moment, Amadeus looks at his own boots.

Amadeus: "Tony! Shoot another ice arrow!"

After the robian coyote has returned to the pier by using the rockets on this feet's soles, his son shoots another arrow with liquid helium, and the  _Marshal_  jumps and lands in the submarine half a second after the armor has frozen to temperatures close to absolute zero. His boots' surface freezes and deteriorates a bit, but the footwear keeps the fox's feet protected from extreme cold, then he plunges his saber into the armor and activates the electric current in the filament, and the electricity travels at full speed through the submarine, until it makes explode several sensors on the ship's surface and damages part of the computers inside; as soon as the electric current stops, Armand brings the fox back to the hangar. The submarine is paralyzed, but its main weapon was isolated from electricity and is still as functional as before.

At Pier Two, the submarine's main weapon is still firing particle bullets in all directions, and the four mobians there have to dodge constantly and can barely counterattack; Shadow is forced to use his teleportation powers more than once to save some of his companions.

Lightning: "Shadow, I'll distract it while you and Procion attack."

Nic: [to Lightning] "Wait! I'm with you."

Lightning: "Nic, it's dangerous-"

Nic: "No, this ain't disputed. We'll sacrifice together."

Shadow: "If you're actually willing, go ahead. But stop the cheesy talk and hurry up."

Nic: "Good. Lightning, have a  _kunai_  ready. [actives her communicador] D'Coolette Junior, can you give your diamond knife to him?"

Antoine: [voice on Nic's communicador]  _"D'accord, mademoiselle."_

The young coyote opens his  _Prowernoid_ 's cockpit a little, and he quickly throws his diamond knife, kept in a somewhat heavy special metal case, at the she-weasel. Nic catches the weapon and jumps towards the submarine's tower, followed by the  _ninja_  lynx; then, both stand in front of the tower and start mocking, either jumping on one foot or sticking out their tongues or doing other mockeries (although Lightning's jokes don't attract much attention, unlike those of his girlfriend).

Nic: "Hey, morons! How about I scratch your zero kilometer submarine?!"

She quickly plunges the diamond knife into the armor, then pulls it out and introduces her boyfriend's  _kunai_  into the deep cut left by Antoine's weapon, and then pulls out a whip, ties tightly the  _kunai_ 's handle with it, and activates the electric current in the whip. Electricity damages some of the submarine's internal systems, which no longer move.

The ship's main weapon is about to shoot; Shadow and Procion do the same, creating Chaos spears and loading the  _Prowernoid_ 's cannon respectively. But the submarine's cannon fires about twenty bullets in different directions at the same time, and both the "Ultimate Lifeform" and the raccoon are surprised; Shadow gets to dodge, but the  _Prowernoid_  is damaged and even loses the laser machine gun on one side.

Proción: [from inside the  _Prowernoid_ ] "Don't worry about me! This jalopy still stands."

Fiona: [from inside the  _Prower Slug_ , via communicador] "Don't you dare to call Miles' inventions 'jalopies'!"

Inside the tank, the red vixen becomes silent immediately, and then she, jaded and embarrassed, lets out a scream. At Pier One, she's driving the tank while Julie-Su fires the cannon, but the bullets fired by the pink echidna don't have much effect on the submarine's armor, to such an extent that it takes three or four cannon shots in the same point of the armor to dent it just a little. The incendiary bullets fired by Rouge from her  _Prowernoid_  also can't do much.

The submarine's main weapon reveals a new attack mode that doesn't require the sphere to turn over: two cannons of short length and caliber grow from the hemisphere's surface.

Shadow: [gets to see the transformation of Pier One's submarine's main weapon] "ROUGE! FIONA! JULIE! GET OUTTA THERE! That's the attack mode used when it shot at that skyscraper!"

The submarine and the weapon itself move following the movements of Rouge's  _Prowernoid_  and the  _Prower Slug_ ; once the aim is set, both the weapon and the submarine are still, but half a second later, each of the two cannons shoots a thick, powerful stream of high-energy particles, which looks like an electric arc changing color without stopping. The tank doesn't dodge the shot in time and is reached by one of the two particle streams. Three seconds after the weapon was fired, the two cannons retract in the hemisphere; the tank, severely damaged, crouches and lets its two occupants leave wrapped in a thick smoke.

Julie-Su: *cough* *cough* "I'm *cough* sick of this thing. *cough* *cough* Fiona... *cough* Taking into account your... outburst a few seconds ago... *cough* Are you sure you don't wanna talk about-?"

Fiona: [enraged, on the verge of madness] "STOP BUSTING MY F***ING BALLS! *cough* *cough* *cough* *cough* [spits a phlegm a bit blackened by the smoke that entered her lungs, then speaks in a voice a little weaker than normal] Help us destroy these f***ing submarines."

Meanwhile, the floodgates in front of the piers start to open.

Armand: [via communicador, desperate] "We must do something! Fast!"

Shadow: [via communicador, talking fast] "I have a plan. I'm sure it'll work, none of us will die, but all of you must leave."

Amadeus: [via communicador] "No, Shadow! You'll not make a Chaos Blast in the middle of the city!"

 _Marshal_ 's warning is late: the black and red hedgehog has already removed one of his inhibitor rings, and his body starts emiting a red glow.

Rouge: [via communicador, strangely calm] "Don't bother trying to stop him, sir. Besides, he may look like a brute sometimes, but he knows what he does. Let's get outta here."

Amadeus: [via communicador] "Rouge... [grouching] "Okay. [to everyone else] Withdraw!"

Julie-Su: [via communicador] "We'd better evacuate a really large area, and we'd better do it fast."

Proción: [via communicador] "I'll call Tower."

The whole team leaves from there by using the path they used before, taking the recovered vehicles. The only one left is Shadow, who tries to prevent the submarines from leaving before the area is evacuated and he can remove his other inhibitor ring.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later...

It's already getting dark. To the northwest of where Amadeus' team had begun its journey, GUN's forces have just evacuated the whole neighborhood of Achter Kol, in North-Central New Guernsey, as well as its surroundings.

**_KA-BOOM!_ **

In the center of that neighborhood, a huge Chaos Blast produces a hole hundreds of meters in diameter, which leaves a large portion of the sewer system exposed. In the middle of the crater are the piers from which the three Finitevic submarines were to depart, but one of those three submarines is shattered and the other two are still functional but damaged.

Less than a minute later, two drones of GUN fire missiles at the crater's center, destroying the other two submarines.

Suddenly, Shadow appears in the middle of the waters east of Achter Kol. Both the Strait and the streets near the coast are being little traveled at this time, so no-one notices his presence.

Shadow: "I need vacations."

The "Ultimate Lifeform" begins to swim to the southeast, towards the North of Empire Island.


	11. Chapter 10: Getting into troubles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Other languages' pronunciation:
> 
> From now on, I'll include some phonetic symbols when I write how sentences are pronounced in some languages, and I'll also include how those phonetic symbols are pronounced.
> 
> ɨ: like the e in "roses".
> 
> ə: like the a in "about".

Five days later...

City-State of Westopolis, United Federation. 9:00 AM, Local Time.

[ **Soundtrack:**   _Beat it_  –  **Michael Jackson** ]

Tails is having breakfast sitting in the bar of a coffee shop. The trade in question is much longer than it's wide; its walls, ceiling and floor are covered with polished wooden boards; it has the entrance door at one end and the kitchen at the other end, while the bar extends along the coffee shop; there are many bottles of alcoholic drinks on a shelf behind the bar, as well as an old espresso machine resting on the bar. The child prodigy's breakfast consists of a relatively large cup of coffee with milk, two sweet croissants that have been cut horizontally and have ham and melted cheese between the two halves, and a glass full of squeezed orange juice.

The weather in Westopolis is rather warm even in winter, and this time the fox's attire is lighter: a tight jeans, a waistcoat of the same material, a dark blue shirt with long sleeves and high collar, leather fingerless gloves, and a larger version of his old red sneakers with white toecaps. He still has the patch covering his healthy left eye, to avoid problems in developing his regenerated right eye's connection with his brain.

He still has two bands on his right arm: a band of Freedom Fighter (orange with a black star, which in turn contains the acronym FF ["Freedom Fighter", "Freedom Fighter"] written in yellow), and a band of Honorary Member of GUN (dark blue with the GUN symbol and with the acronym HM ["Honorary Member", Honorary Member "] written in white). He also has the service ribbons of his decorations in his jean jacket: the ribbon of Commander of Mercia's New Legion of Honour (red with silver edges, a miniature badge of the Legion of Honour, and a rosette); the ribbon of the Anti-Robotnik Resistance Medal (vertical orange and black stripes); the ribbon of GUN's Bronze Medal for Bravery (white with thin garnet edges and a garnet-blue-garnet band in the center), and two oak leaves made of bronze, representing the two repetitions of the aforementioned medal.

_"Look who's back!"_

Tails turns around, looks at the bar's door and is pleasantly surprised by six old friends of his: two male humans who are between 25 and 30 years old and have dark complexion, dark hair, brown eyes and athletic-looking bodies; two female mobian gray rats who also have trained bodies and seem to be very close, and two mobian tree frogs of Eurish who are twin siblings of different sex. The way of dressing and the hairstyle of several of them is the typical stereotype of the 80s' rappers, but men don't have gold chains or gold rings or jewels or anything similar, and women's clothes aren't very provocative; on the other hand, one of the rats, the most curvaceous and busty of the three women in that group, seems to be a little tomboy judging by her clothing, which includes an overall stained with motor oil, and one of the human males has his trunk covered only by a white sleeveless shirt (even though the weather isn't so hot as to merit the use of those clothes). The other female rat is the one who had drawn the others' attention about Tails' presence.

"Miles 'Tails' Prower... "When are you gonna stop winning medals?" That same rat asks him rhetorically.

"Betty Florea Iancolescu... When are you gonna stop pretending you're a badass girl? It's brutally obvious that it's your girlfriend who has the upper hand."

"Yeah, of course... Insinuate everything you want. Everything you say will enter through one of my ears and will come out through the other."

*sigh* "She'll never stop being so stubborn, right, Ioana?" Tails asks the other rat, The one who's dressed in an oil-stained overall and seems to be Betty's girlfriend.

"Surely she won't,  _băiat_  ["bəiat", "boy"]. But that's what I like so much about her." Ioana hugs Betty around the waist and whispers in her ear, although everyone gets to hear what she's saying.

"Nu-ți face griji, știu că ești o fată dură înăuntru. Poate vrei să-mi dovedești asta în seara asta..." ["Nuty fache griy, shtiu kə eshty o fatə durə ɨnəuntru. Poate vrei sə-my dovedeshty asta ɨn seara asta...", "Don't worry, I know you're badass inside. Maybe you wanna prove it to me tonight..."]

Betty blushes intensely at Ioana's suggestion, added to the fact that they're hugging each other in such a way in public. "Te rog, să nu-mi spui acele lucruri acum... sau va trebui să te fut chiar aici..." ["Te rog, sə numy spui achele lukrury akum... sau va trebui sə te fut kiar aichy...", "Please, don't tell me those things now... or I'll have to f*** you right here..."]

"Oh, c'mon... Go to a hotel, please!" The male frog tells them.

"Yeah, we don't need to know your language to know what you're talking about." His twin sister adds.

"Anyway... We've not seen you around here for a long time, buddie." The human dressed in the white sleeveless shirt tells the fox.

"I was really busy these days, Douglas."

"Winning medals?" The other human asks him.

"And doing other things, too. But I wasn't just working, Jason. I usually feel comfortable with what I do, but I ain't a workaholic or anything like that."

"We knew what happened... a month ago... in New Mobotropolis..." The amphibian woman mentions, hesitating near the end.

Suddenly, everyone is silent.

"Yeah, that 'small disagreement' has cost a thousand lives. That's why I no longer always feel comfortable with my work... But we've talked too much about me! How are you? Is everything better than when I left?"

"Lucrecia Silvano, the new President of Westopolis, is doing everything that she promised in the campaign, just like her husband and the others in their party who entered the Assembly." Jason answers. "And those two are also nice! I ain't saying that's important, but... Those of the previous Government, those who ruled until  _Lucy_  beat them, used to say that she and her followers were bitter, violent-"

"Bitter and violent at the same time?" Douglas asks rhetorically. " _Jay_ , you sound super contradictory when you say it like that. Besides, who were the ones who showed banners with pictures of Lucy and her husband dressed as prisoners and hanged?"

"Yeah,  _Doug_! And when those morons were marching, they looked like hooligans of the North Bay Soccer Club!" Ioana mentions. "On the other hand, we were among the most peaceful. And we also attracted more people than them, even when it was raining!"

"And those who were before repressed almost as much as the military dictatorships." The amphibious male adds.

"I know, but half the people don't think or realize that. They think doing it's more difficult than composing a good rap or something."

Tails lifts the glass containing orange juice, puts it at eye level and watches the world through it. It's a very original improvised glass, made from an empty jam jar.

"Before, those who felt better preserving the pre-existing unfair order felt represented by the formal things, the boring things, the sad things, the bitter things, the strict things, the protocol, the cold Reason, the complex things, the eloquence, the Science, a progress that actually left many people outta the system, the fact of staying away from people as if they lived at a higher level... On the contrary, those who advocated change and a more fair world represented themselves through informal things, the fun, happiness, a quiet way of living, cheesy things, the opposition to any code imposed by elites, the burning feelings, the simple things, an 'improvised' way of communicating and spreading their ideas; the opposition to a Science that actually didn't live up to its name, the return to values and ways of life that seemed to have been forgotten or even forbidden, the renunciation of everything they had in order to be closer to Nature-"

"Like what you and the other Knothole villagers did, when they had to resist Robotnik." The male frog comments.

"That's right, Antxon. And the same thing happened with that anti-system movement that had emerged some decades before the Xordas' attack."

"But now, all that is upside down." Betty adds. "The elites convince people by talking about joy and proposing a simple life, when they actually wanna be the only ones living happily and they'd never wanna have a simple life..."

"They talk about working together to move forward..." Antxon's twin sister says. "When actually they just wanna sit while the other people do all the work..."

"Yeah, they cry out for 'freedom'..." Jason adds. "But they only use their freedom to take it away from everyone else..."

"They throw any code out the window..." Douglas says. "To abuse all of us without anything or anyone stopping them..."

Tails keeps his eyes on his friends, and then he turns to the coffee shop's owner: a male human of about 60 years old, with brown eyes and gray hair that was once dark brown, who is elegantly dressed and is personally attending to clients from behind the bar.

"Hey, Boss..."

"Yep, Miles?" The human answers with a serious but at the same time helpful and informal tone.

"Here..." The fox gives him a credit card. "Let your people prepare: soon, many people will come here to buy a lot of food and drink, and y'all will sell more than ever."

"As you say!" The owner responds smiling.

Then the child prodigy addresses Antxon's sister.

"Aretxa, could you do me a favor?"

Aretxa makes a broad smile. "I think I know what you want. Count on me." Immediately afterwards, she leaves the store while Tails addresses the others.

"Ladies and Gentlemen... After this Long Night, there are already genuine representatives of Westopolis' people in this city-State's Assembly, in Westopolis' seats in the Federal Assembly, and in the local President's Office. And now that I've returned with this neighborhood's people, we're gonna celebrate it in the best way: thinking and exchanging ideas about Politics, Economy, Society and any other issue that may arise. Comrades... The people is back in the Government buildings, in their House, and this neighborhood will celebrate with the reopening of the Retro Club!"

Everyone starts to cheer for Tails and applaud.

"Bai!" ["Yeah!"]

"That's the vibe, bro!"

"Așa se face!" ["Asha se fache!", "That's how it's done!"]

* * *

Meanwhile...

GUN's HQ, south of Central City. 9:30 AM, Local Time.

Amadeus, Nic, Julie-Su and Armand are sitting in an empty Conference Room. Suddenly, Commander Tower enters with his briefcase in his hand.

Tower: "Well... You arrived early. You're good at getting up early."

Armand: "It happens that I'm a robian, Commander."

Nic: "And I was already in similar situations."

Amadeus: "And I went through the typical military training. It requires always getting up with the sun."

Julie-Su: "And I'm starting to have insomnia. So you'd better bring news, so we can finish this before and I can travel to Angel Island to  **try**  to rest."

Tower: "Well, I must tell you these news aren't the best. First of all, we've analyzed the remains of the three submarines we destroyed almost a week ago in Empire City, and the results have been... interesting, as well as disturbing."

Nic: "We'd like you to tell us it in more detail."

Tower: "Let's go by parts. First: the armor's composition included several substances of a possible alien origin, similar to the materials used by the  _Black Arms_  in their machines, but there were also traces of the Optimal Alloy of Improved Qualities Specifically for Military Use, also called-"

Armand: "Megatal."

Tower: "I suppose you've already met it, General. The Megatal had been created by Gwenaëlle Trahern-Le Besco, aka 'Tekno Canary', while she was a prisoner of the original Robotnik; with the help of another prisoner, she escaped, she went to the Mercian Freedom Fighters, and she revealed vital information to the whole Resistance and its allies: the existence of the Megatal, its qualities, and its high fragility when exposed to extreme cold; the latter is actually its only useful weakness."

Armand: "Thanks to my son, we've noticed that weakness during that mission."

Amadeus: "Fiona told me about a green canary girl she met when she and Tails traveled to Westopolis to collaborate in an investigation."

Nic: "Yeah, I also heard about her."

Julie-Su: "I met a friend of hers. He's a squirrel boy nicknamed 'Shorty', who is also called 'Shortfuse' and controls a Megatal armor that he uses to fight for the Resistance with Tekno's and her knowledge's help."

Armand: "If my database is correct, that 'Shorty' was the prisoner who helped Tekno escape."

Julie-Su: "Then we should call him and Tekno to help us, since they know about the Megatal-"

Rouge: [She appears suddenly at the Conference Room's door] "We can't count on Tekno or Shorty: both have been MIA for three and a half months."

Armand: "What happened exactly?"

Tower: "The DEL's Eurish chapter had organized an expedition in North-East Efrika, in the region where the then Kommissar Nephthys imposed her dominion on behalf of the Eggman Empire; there are pyramidal buildings built about 17 thousand years ago, the time when the first human theocratic nations began to form, and those buildings somehow managed to resist the Xordas' attack."

Rouge: "Within one of those pyramids, the DEL discovered the "Eternity Ring": a mysterious inter-dimensional transport artifact. It was very similar to the Warp Ring invented by Finitevus, but its quantum analysis indicated an age of at least 20 thousand years, which suggested that the humans of the newly emerged Pharaonic Empire had built the pyramid around and on top of the Ring, probably to worship it or something. I knew the DEL had discovered this; GUN proposed to investigate it and neutralize any possible threat, and the International Freedom Fighter sent two independent agents who had volunteered: Tekno and Shorty."

Tower: "According to our reports, the DEL suffered a severe setback in North-East Efrika, and the Eggman Empire lost the Eternity Ring and abandoned any project related to it, so it's clear the mission was a success; however, both Tekno and Shorty disappeared. We suspect they crossed the portal in some way, but we can't investigate what actually happened, nor do we have the slightest idea how to rescue those two agents, if they're still alive."

Nic remains thoughtful for a few seconds.

Nic: "Why didn't anyone use Megatal in all this time? That alloy is the Future. Even if it's very fragile if you put it in a super-freezer, it could tip the scales in favor of the one who develops it!"

Rouge: "Making Megatal is very difficult and expensive. Robotnik only used it for one thing: to make the prototype of the Cybernik armor, a more advanced variant of the Badnik suits. Even if this was a single prototype, he planned to make one and take advantage of it as much as he could, and that shows how expensive Megatal was-"

Amadeus: "Excuse me... Badnik suits? Cybernik's prototype? What's all that?"

Armand: "The Badnik suits were high-tech armor that made the user, whether a non-mobian animal or a mobian, become a soldier loyal to the Robotnik Empire; its energy source was the very user's body."

Amadeus: "How awful..."

Armand: "The Cybernik, a Badnik suit made of Megatal, had the most advanced technology that Robotnik had access to, as well as the ability to make the user dependent on the suit to stay alive, which ensured that the user remained a slave and couldn't do anything to help the Resistance. The dictator gave some uses to the Badniks during the first years of his Empire, but the enslavement by means of Badniks didn't supress a mobian's free will as effectively as the Robotization did. Five years after the coup d'état, Robotnik used Shorty to test the Cybernik: bending that squirrel using a conventional Badnik suit had previously seemed impossible, the Cybernik supposedly had a better system to supress the user's free will, and Robotnik wanted to make a great demonstration of his newly made prototype."

Julie-Su: "I've met Shorty personally, and I've seen him fight on our side by using the Cybernik suit, so it's obvious that Robotnik failed."

Armand: "Shrty also managed to resist the Cybernik's mental control; he went out of control, he rescued Tekno and he destroyed the facilities where both were locked. This was one of the reasons why Robotnik has definitively abandoned the Badniks Development Program and has favored the use of robotized mobians."

Nic: [to Tower] "What other things did your folks discover?"

Tower: "The Finitevics stole the technology of the guided plasma bullet, another of the things that Miles 'Tails' Prower invented and lent us."

Rouge: "Yes, we 've seen how those submarines used it. Tails is gonna get very angry about this... again."

Amadeus: "By the way, where are Fiona and the others?"

* * *

Meanwhile...

Aosta Hotel, Liguria District, City-State of Spagonia. 9:30 AM, Local and Central City Time.

[ **Soundtrack:**   _Tanti auguri_  –  **Raffaella Carrà** ]

"Se per caso cadesse il mondo io mi sposto un pò più in la. / Sono un cuore vagabondo che di regole non ne ha. / La mia vita è un roulette i miei numeri tu li sai. / Il mio corpo è una moquette dove tu ti addormenterai."

Fiona is taking a shower in her room. Her body's fur, and especially her hair, seems a bit longer when wet.

"Ma girando la mia terra io mi sono convinta che / Non c'è odio non c'è guerra quando a letto l'amore c'è..."

Near the shower itself, there's a CD player running. She's singing along with the CD's songs' voice, but at a higher volume and in a horribly detuned way.

"Com'è bello far l'amore da Trieste in giù. / Com'è bello far l'amore io son pronta e tu. / Tanti auguri, a chi tanti amanti ha. / Tanti auguri, in campagna ed in città."

In the room next to Fiona's, Lightning tries to meditate, but he's not finding it easy at all.

"Com'è bello far l'amore da Trieste in giù. / L'importante farlo sempre con chi hai voglia tu... / E se ti lascia lo sai che si fa, / trovi un altro più bello... che problemi non ha."

 _"Chiudi la tua fottuta bocca, p******!"_  [ _"Shut the f*** up, you b****!"_ ] Someone shouts at her from a room in a hotel on the opposite sidewalk.

"Vaffanculo, stronzo!" ["Fuck you, asshole!"]

A few minutes later, Fiona comes out of the bathroom with only a robe on, and she's surprised by Antoine's presence in the living room. He wears casual clothes, he has his arms crossed, and his face is serious.

"Tony! I just got outta the shower, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"We have to talk." He starts to walk towards the door. "Go out when you're dressed. I'll be waiting outside."

* * *

Meanwhile, in Westopolis...

[ **Soundtrack:**   _West End girls_  –  **Pet Shop Boys** ]

Ioana: "So, are you Socialist or not?"

Dozens of people are crowded in and around the coffee shop where Tails is. They're listening attentively and also participating in the conversations between the Freedom Fighter and his friends in Westopolis.

Tails: "I agree with many of the Socialist ideas. Capitalism generates many social and economic problems: the workers' exploitation; the existence of a disgustingly rich minority while a large part of society is poor or close to being so; the fact that a large part of these problems are generated 'cause the State doesn't fulfill its true role, doesn't intervene and the only thing it does is guarantee that only the Law of the Jungle remains valid..."

Betty: "But you ain't Socialist despite that? Why?"

Tails: "I don't agree with the proposals of those guys to solve this: they're still utopias for me. Today, especially in societies of large cities like this, we can't simply 'back off' and organize ourselves again as villages where land is owned by everyone; we can't suppress individual freedom or adopt a mentality like that of a hive; we can't pretend that people stop having ambition and don't wanna have something that others don't have, nor can it be avoided that there's Domination or that some people are richer than others-"

Antxon: "But Domination can be eliminated!"

Tails: "It's necessary to differentiate the meaning of 'Domination' and that of 'Exploitation'. 'Domination' means that some are above others in a hierarchy, and that's something that will always exist: When a club's leaders are appointed, those leaders ain't on par with the others but above them; when a village's people elect someone to lead them or to represent them before others outside the village, that chosen person ain't on par with the others but above them; the State, although it represents all of us as it should be, ain't on par with us but above us; a company's head, even if it's the fairest and the most benevolent of all, ain't on par with its employees but above them. On the other hand, 'Exploitation' means that the one who's dominating exercises its power in an excessive way, without others putting a brake on it: an absolutist King; a school teacher who mistreats its students and/or approves and disapproves of them arbitrarily; a businessman who's too rich, who uses his economic power to make others stop having a decent life and also lose their freedom, and who sees others as mere resources..."

Jason: "Oh... Then, there can be Domination without Exploitation."

Aretxa: "And what we have to do ain't avoid Domination, but avoid Exploitation."

Tails' cell phone starts ringing.

Tails: [upset because of the interruption] "Excuse me..."

He moves away from them and tries to pass through the crowd: all come from different parts of the city and from different social classes, they talk relaxedly, they eat and drink in no small amount and they seem to be quite happy. Finally he manages to enter the men's bathroom, where he answers the phone.

It's an SMS from his father.

_Result of test to Finitevic submarines in Empire City: they have alloy of canary engineer girl, and also your guided plasma bullet technology._

Tails: [to himself, whispering and growling] "Commander Abraham Tower, you moron son of a... I think I'll no longer donate more of my technology to GUN. Those assholes dunno how to take care of my things."

He proceeds to write a reply SMS to Amadeus.

_Keep me informed._

As soon as the fox sends the SMS, he returns with his friends.

Ioana: "What was that?"

Tails: "Nothing important, just things from my job. Anyway... What has to be achieved is that everyone has, at least, a decent life and also some other things, even if they ain't necessary to live: in addition to housing, food, education, medical care, clothing and work of good quality, people also deserve to have moments of leisure, the chance to eat at a restaurant or watch a movie at the cinema; time and money that allow them to 'live their lives'... The problem, what prevents this from being achieved, ain't that the wealthy people themselves exist; the problem is that that richer minority, which is exaggeratedly small, concentrates too much wealth, has too much freedom and uses its economic power to rule as if they were kings; so, the poorest majority not only don't have leisure or occasional luxuries of any kind, but they don't have the most basic things either: no healthy diet, no access to a quality education, no good hospitals, no clothes better than rags, no decent work, not even the freedom that some rich people claim to defend-"

_"Geez, what a bunch of Keynesian lies!"_

The music is suddenly interrupted. Most people in the coffee shop are startled and immediately look at the entrance. On the other hand, the six friends of Tails look tired of the fact that the scream's author is there, as if saying "Don't f*** with me. That guy again?" The coffee shop's owner refuses to look at him and he just continues with his work. As for Tails -who was standing until that moment-, he sits in front of the bar, he stands with his back to the front door, he keeps his eyes half-closed, he drinks a little of his coffee with milk, and then he makes a mocking smile.

Tails: [with exaggerated politeness] "I'm pleasantly surprised by your presence in this place..."

The child prodigy finally turns around and confronts the newcomer. It's a 47-year-old male mobian fox; his fur's color is a yellow lighter than Tails' fur; his eyes' iris is a gray so light it almost makes him look like a vampire; he has a disheveled black half hair, too much like a wig; his body is a little chubby; he's dressed in fine clothes, and on his jacket's left lapel, he has a rare pin: a black snake threatening to attack, on a yellow background.

Tails: "Joseph Mileidi, graduate in Economics at the Tea University, self-proclaimed "Expert in Tantric Sex", and the most grotesque showman ever engendered by the think tanks of Empire City's elites. When will you get tired of bothering the people with your presence in these streets and in the media?"

Mileidi: "Cry all you want, disgusting religious fan of Populism. I come to bring the Truth, even if it bothers some of you."

Tails: [sarcastic] "The Truth that bothers some, right? I hope this Truth is the one that bothers the people who concentrate Westopolis' wealth and used to control this city-State's Government until a few months ago."

Mileidi: [upset by what Tails has just said] "The Truth of which I speak is that the new Government of that deranged woman and her savage husband is about to turn this country into a paradise of irrationality, waste and tyranny."

Several start to boo him, but the Freedom Fighter, while remaining relaxed, raises a hand and stops the protests.

Tails: "Please, silence, fellas. I think we should listen to him. It could be very interesting."

Mileidi: "Successful countries, like Empire City, are successful because their inhabitants' freedom is respected, the State doesn't interfere with its presence, the lazy aren't rewarded, the labor's fruit isn't taken from the one who actually has merit-"

Antxon: "The successful ones in Empire City have no f***ing merit! All their wealth is inherited, their great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfathers obtained that wealth by exploiting all who were below them, and the rich now are doing the same to continue to be filled with money."

Tails: "Besides, you pretend that there's freedom as in Empire City, but that city always had State intervention, and that was what kept it going; on the contrary, that absolute freedom that you claimed was already here, in Westopolis, and the Aristocracy used that freedom to convert all into slaves, to extract this city's wealth and to take them to Empire City, with the help of a State corrupted by being filled with representatives of that same Aristocracy."

Mileidi: [furious, to the point that his whole face starts to turn red] "Liar! Those are just lies fabricated by the Left!"

Tails: "I'd like you to say some coherent argument some day, instead of shouting set phrases and fallacies mixed with insults. Yes, I also resort to insult occasionally, but I insult with intelligence, with precision, with elegance, with style, unlike you-"

Mileidi: "Don't deviate from the subject! You just want to justify that the bums of neighborhoods like this keep making money without having to work!"

Several start to shout at the middle-aged fox and to utter all kinds of insults, but the child prodigy stops them again with a simple gesture of his hand.

Tails: "The people of neighborhoods like this... those who live on the street... those who work 16 hours a day... those who have barely enough to live and can't see their dreams fulfilled... those who have to resist constantly to continue having the little dignity they have left... those who are sometimes forced to make their own children work... those who are forced to pick up cardboard and garbage to earn a miserable amount of money... and the workers as a whole, who always did all the work but to whom everything has been taken away..."

Everyone in the bar starts to feel sorry for the people mentioned by the two-tailed fox. The only one who doesn't feel the same is the other fox, the one with the wig, who is discussing with Tails.

Tails: "I think all those people have worked too much and deserve compensation after centuries... No,  **millennia**  of abuse. What you propose, a Meritocracy where the power is given to the successful ones so that the society is better, starts from the premise that we all compete in equal conditions, but the Reality is far from being so. Also, as I mentioned, this is a Society, and we all depend on each other; the idea that a person can succeed on its own, the idea that failure is always the fault of only oneself, has become a fantasy, 'cause even Empire City's big companies need subsidies."

Mileidi: "All you're mentioning are failures that happen because what I propose is badly carried out by the governments-"

Tails: "It'll  **always**  be badly carried out! The Neoliberalism that you propose  **always**  implies corruption,  **always**  means making money outside the law,  **always**  means plundering those countries that ain't at the pyramid's top,  **always**  implies leaving State institutions abandoned and letting the people die of hunger. Why? 'Cause this system consists of something very simple: businessmen take power and, once they're inside the State, they apply the same tactics they use to make their companies earn money; but doing those things in the State is wrong, and the State's primary goal is to guarantee that everyone's rights are fulfilled, not to make money. On the other hand, a more socially focused system, like the system that Lucy Silvano is implementing right now in this city, may have always had corruption, but it ain't a widespread corruption as in Neoliberalism, the system is still in the experimental stage and can be improved, and after all, people make more money and end up in a better economic situation than with a Neoliberal Government."

Mileidi: "That doesn't matter! Those of the so-called 'Party for People's Victory' governed not a few years ago, and they did the same as that mad couple which are now in power; they only managed to stay in power because they deceived people and made them worship them as gods. But the morons like all of you, who are deluded with a Social Justice that is the most unfair thing that has ever existed, can't bear that I provide concrete data!"

The boos and insults are resumed, and Tails is forced to stop them again.

Tails: [pretends not to know what Mileidi is talking about] "Concrete data? What are you talking about? Oh, yes, of course... The supposed economic growth that happened during the previous Government, the Government of the even worse called 'Movement for the Change'... Centuries ago it was shown that Growth doesn't necessarily imply Development. Westopolis had grown, yes, but it hadn't developed, it had much more Poverty than before, and those of the Movement for the Change wanted this city-State to earn money by selling what was produced in the rural area... which is absurd, especially now! Now the Countryside is what produces less wealth and less work, even when the factories have robots doing the work, and the only way to make money is by producing manufactured things and selling them, instead of buying them from other countries. Or is it that a 'successful' city, such as Empire City, keeps standing by selling cheap cereals to countries with Industry -which only give work to their own people- and by buying manufactured things with more value? No.  **That**  is what Westopolis did for centuries; and now, whenever a Government like the current one takes power, it's very difficult to make this city-State develop. And that brings me to another topic..."

Fighter for Freedom drinks the remaining orange juice from his glass.

Tails: "And it's the fact that the hatred against Populism is excessive."

Mileidi: " **WHAT?!**  How can you say that?! These guys cheat their followers to make them worship and act as fanatics! They're the same shit as the Nazis, who almost took over the world more than half a century before the Xordas' attack! They're the true slavers! They're not different from Robotnik! You're a Freedom Fighter, Tails! How can you support them?!"

Tails: "I support them because I know the context in which they appeared. [pauses] For centuries, countries like this had irresponsible leaders from the Aristocracy: businessmen and bankers, who didn't give a damn about their own people; sepoys, who participated in the looting by more powerful States, States like your beloved Empire City; real conspirators, who worked in other nations' service and not in their own homeland's service, and who left a large part of the population sunk in a frightful misery and in the ignorance that you supposedly oppose. If after such a martyrdom, someone appears and cares for the people and especially for the lower classes for the first time in all History, becoming a charismatic leader like those that you pejoratively call 'Populists', ain't it expected that people see the arrival of such a leader as a miracle? In any case, that leader may be a manipulator, but the fault doesn't lie with the Populist, much less with the people who chose and supported it; no, the fault lies with the Aristocracy, which caused that unenviable previous situation since the beginning. So, people like them and like you have no right to complain about a situation that they themselves caused with their selfish and irresponsible actions. You already know what the Christians' sacred scriptures say: 'You reap what you sow'."

Mileidi:  **"SHUT UP! YOU SON OF A B-!"**

Mileidi is interrupted when the young two-tailed fox proceeds to grab him violently by the jacket's left lapel (the same place where the economist has that yellow pin with the drawing of a black snake) and pushes him against a wall.

Tails: [stares at the pin on the lapel] "You're proud to be a Libertarian, ain't you?"

Tails' unfortunate opponent tries to look threatening, but he's obviously being intimidated, especially since Tails now looks a little taller than him.

Tails: "You say your proposal is 'right', 'responsible', and the new Government, which acts on behalf of the most humble, is 'bad', 'irresponsible'... However, what you propose, the Free Market, the absolute individual freedom so that each one does what it wants with its money, the State's non-intervention...  **That**  is what most resembles the Law of the Jungle adapted to the current world: the predators, the successful species, would be the transnational companies, the city-States with more economic power like Empire City, and their henchmen in the local Aristocracy, and these people don't like Exploitation's victims rebelling as Westopolis' people did when they voted for Lucy Silvano; the preys, the species that don't survive the Natural Selection, would be the people of cities like this one, people who don't have the money or the power to claim what belongs to them, a mass of poor people whom the most powerful keep alive only to continue exploiting them and extracting their labor's fruit. [pauses, and then speaks pretending to feel pity] I'm deeply sorry, Dear Graduate Mileidi... [suddenly tears the pin with the Libertarian symbol, and uses a threatening voice again] But the world has changed a long time ago: we're in a Civilization; and in it, laws of Nature such as Natural Selection and Survival of the Fittest have no validity, we're all people who deserve a dignified life, no one should exploit no one, and if wealth and privilege are concentrated in the hands of a few, then it'd be better for their owners to sacrifice part of them in favor of the Greater Good, especially after the poorest have worked so hard for generations without receiving any reward. [pauses]  **This**  is how a healthy society works."

The middle-aged fox begins to tremble, while Tails points his finger at him and continues talking.

Tails: "And don't dare to question my conviction to fight Robotnik or any of his successors ever again. In fact, it's you who actually deserves to be suspected of collaborating with Eggman: the exploitation to which millions of people were and still are subjected 'cause of Neoliberalism makes that system and your proposals are much more similar to Robotnik's Dictatorship, especially 'cause in both Westopolis and Apotos, military coups and dictatorships were needed to carry out this system. And you keep boasting, claiming that you fight for Freedom..."

The child prodigy releases Mileidi, returns to his chair in front of the bar and drinks what remains of his coffee with milk.

Mileidi: [half angry, half desperate] "I- I- I have data! C- Concrete data! Sta- Statistics!"

Tails: "Graduate, there are people recording this discussion. I don't think this is good for your image."

Mileidi: "Y- You can't do this!"

Tails: "Oh, but of course I can do it! In fact, I already did it, and I'll proceed to do it again."

Mileidi: "I'm a graduate! Graduated in a prestigious University! Even you admitted it!"

Tails: "Of course: without a doubt, you're a very intelligent guy, someone very clever and very capable, but you use your abilities to do evil. When you participate in TV shows, you bring all your data to the average viewer by using a language and voice similar to theirs. However, you say reasonable lie, you don't say all the Truth, your data doesn't mean anything to ordinary people, and the only reason why people listened to you was 'cause of your way of speaking and 'cause you said you were against all politicians and against the State, and that simplistic idea used to be shared by many people at that time; but everyone has realized what you were doing, and no one is satisfied so easily with reasonable lie said ingeniously."

Mileidi: "But my data means a lot to ordinary people-!"

Tails: "Oh, yeah? How are the people affected by the Phillips Curve? How was the people benefited by unscrupulous bankers who came to invest during the previous Government? The only thing they did a few seconds after investing was to get the money back, without spending a cent on anything productive. [briefly addresses the others] For the record: it may seem absurd, but many of the richest people in the whole United Federation think they earn more money in that way than by investing in something truly productive. [addresses Mileidi again] The only effect of the data that you mention is that the businessmen earn more or less money, but Westopolis and a large part of their people is just as bad as ever, and that businessmen earn a lot of money anyway. [pauses] You've stained the name of Science, and any academic who appreciates itself should feel ashamed to see you on TV. In short: you ain't a moron, you ain't crazy, but you're a son of a b****. And also a miserable and pathetic insect."

Upon hearing this, the economist's face changes radically as it adopts a grimace of terror.

Tails: "Do you remember when you appeared on TV and you revealed that, every time you failed, your father rubbed your failure in your face? Well, I think he was right after all. [pauses, and then speaks with some tension in his voice] I've fought almost all my short life, and not only in the War: I had to try to make good use of my intelligence; I've seen and done things that no child or adolescent could even dream of, at least not without getting wet; I suffered the betrayal by people very close to me; they tried to make me a mere assistant instead of letting me be a warrior; I dealt with problems to relate to others, and only a few weeks ago, I stained my hands with the blood of a thousand soldiers who didn't deserve to die at all, much less die as they did. And yet, here I am, alive, still fighting and doing the right thing, worrying about this world and all those who inhabit it."

The middle-aged fox starts to tremble, almost as if he has seizures, while the youngest one continues talking.

Tails: "Instead, you went through a much better childhood than mine, but you voluntarily chose to be the son of a b**** you are; besides, you use that hairstyle that looks like a nest of crows, under the excuse that 'it shows your Libertarian ideas and your rebelliousness'; but things like that are mere fashions that don't genuinely reflect what one is inside, and you ain't a rebel inside, but you're a pathetic worm desperate to get fame-"

Finally, the graduate Joseph Mileidi falls to the ground and his body trembles more strongly while his mouth begins to squirt foam. The coffee shop's owner quickly grabs a phone and calls 911.

* * *

Half a minute later, Mileidi has already been taken away by an ambulance. Everyone is silent, doubting whether or not they should return to what they were doing.

Tails: "Well... That happens to him 'cause of having too much tantric sex."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a room at the Aosta Hotel, Shadow Hedgehog is sleeping peacefully, until he starts to move in bed, to murmur things and even to sweat. Something's going on in his mind, and judging by his reaction, it's not something pleasant...

* * *

[In Shadow's mind...]

He suddenly finds himself in a very large room, with holograms around a circular portion also extensive and well lit. Beyond the holograms, the room is so dark that Shadow can't see the walls or ceiling or the floor's part outside the central disk illuminated by holograms.

In spite of the effective self-control that Shadow usually has, he feels quite insecure and somewhat frightened, to such an extent that he finds it difficult to walk towards the disc's center. He only felt something like this during GUN's intervention on the Space Station ARK, fifty years ago, when they had just created him; he has also felt it, although with a little less intensity, when the  _Black Arms_  tried to conquer Mobius.

_"I knew this was gonna look familiar to you."_

That voice... It also sounds very familiar to the "Ultimate Lifeform". It's something that could be described as an intermediate point between the serious tone of Shadow himself and the more relaxed tone of Sonic. The black and red hedgehog looks in different directions, turning and moving in a frantic way, trying to identify that voice's origin.

"Who are you? Show yourself, you coward!"

At some height of the floor, on the cylindrical wall, small lights start to light up on the steps of a spiral staircase. These lights light up slightly the body of someone who's going down that stairs.

He's of the same height as Shadow, and his general appearance is very similar too. Behind his head, he has three long, thick and pointed growths, loosely similar to cones stretched and slightly curved in an S-shape, pointing back; one growth protrudes from the top of his head, and another growth protrudes from each side of the back of his head, and these three growths as a whole closely resemble Shadow's thorns. His eyes have black sclera and orange-yellow iris, being very similar to Finitevus' eyes; his white snout doesn't have a nose differentiated by the naked eye, and his teeth are triangular and yellowish. His skin is scaly, and most of his body is dark bluish gray, but he also has red marks on various parts of his body: his eyes' edges are red; he has two other red lines that separate from his eyes' edges, form a V in his eyebrows and then continue along the growth originating in his crown until they join at its tip; the tips of the growths are also red; he has a red growth similar to a collar, which occupies his shoulders and the upper part of his torso; his forearms are red, they also have two spikes emanating from each one and pointing in the opposite direction to where his hands are, and the spikes closest to the elbows are the largest; his legs are red, except the toes and the front of his feet, which are dark bluish gray as well as almost his whole body; his tail, long and flexible unlike that of Shadow, is red in the tip's portion, which has the shape of a spike as if it were a devil's tail. The most noticeable difference between the anatomy of this stranger and that of Shadow is that the first has three fingers in each hand and only two toes in each foot.

"Who are you?"

"Who am I? Ha! I'm Shadow! The one and only true Ultimate Lifeform!" That being answers Shadow. "Who could I be?"

"Are you making fun of me?  **I**  am Shadow.  **I**  am the Ultimate Lifeform!"

"Oh, please, dear brother... Do you really think you can be 'Ultimate' with that insignificant mobian DNA constituting half of your genome?"

Shadow moves his head slightly to the side, until he seems to understand what's happening.

"Oh, of course... Now I get it: I 'm in a nightmare, and you represent some latent aspect of my personality, something related to my nature as a  _Black Arm_."

"An interesting theory, honestly."

The subject continues down the stairs, and when he reaches the ground, he walks towards Shadow. When both are facing each other and a few centimeters away, he slowly puts a hand on Shadow's shoulder. Suddenly, the red and black hedgehog feels very weak and starts to lack air.

"Is this  **real**  enough for you, Shadow?"

"Chaos... Control..."

The self-proclaimed "Ultimate Lifeform" tries to teleport himself, but inexplicably he no longer has his powers.

"You're already getting desperate, huh?" The stranger tells him. "Okay, I'll let you go." Then he snaps his fingers.

* * *

Shadow wakes up and suddenly lifts the upper half of the body, trying to calm down.

"What the hell was that?" He says to himself.

Once he manages to normalize his breathing, he gets out of bed, goes out of his room and walks through the corridors... until he realizes that those corridors aren't those of the Aosta Hotel, but those of GUN's HQ.

"Okay... I hate to say this... even if I'm just talking to myself... but I think I've learned a valuable lesson." He keeps walking. "Shadow, if you have a nightmare, don't do Chaos Control to get out of it-"

"Shadow?"

He was so absorbed in himself that he didn't notice Rouge's presence: she was walking in the opposite direction, and now she's standing in front of him and looking confused. The agent of the Team Dark is dressed in the provocative outfit she used to wear before this mission: a black catsuit, with the chest's upper part exposed, and with a large fuchsia heart with white edges on the covered part; white elbow-long gloves with fuchsia cuffs, and white high-heeled boots with fuchsia hearts on the feet's tips and cuffs of the same color.

"Are you okay?" Maybe she tries to sound flirtatious as before, but Shadow already knows how to interpret her voice tone, and he knows she's genuinely concerned about him.

"Why wouldn't I be fine?"

"Well... You're a bit agitated, you don't seem very sure when you walk, you just confirm you're really distracted... and I'm pretty sure that what I heard a few seconds ago was you talking to yourself, and you sounded a bit like Sonic."

("It shows she's having fun with this.") Shadow thinks. ("Wait: Being agitated? Being distracted? Being insecure? Talking alone? Sounding like Sonic?! But what kind of world did I teleport to?!")

"Mobius to Shadow, Mobius to Shadow..." Rouge moves a hand in front of her teammate's face while trying not to laugh. "You don't want me to give you a slap to make you react, do you?"

Shadow looks again at the bat woman's eyes, but she's horrified by something. He doesn't have time to ask her what's going on: a fraction of a second later...

**"STEP ASIDE!"**

Rouge violently pushes Shadow to the corridor's side and she starts to run forward as she quickly prepares to take out two guns similar to Walther PPK pistols but with laser ammunition. At the same moment, a laser cannon shoots and Rouge receives the shot, which goes through her body in the area of her stomach. She falls to the ground, and the hedgehog tries to take care of her: the former jewel thief is scared, really scared, maybe for the first time in her life.

"Shadow... Please..."

_"Go ahead, brother. Do what she asks you. Attend to her pleas, and put an end to her suffering."_

Shadow identifies that voice as the same guy who was harassing him in the nightmare.

_"It's the least she deserves, despite being an inferior lifeform."_

The "Ultimate Lifeform" begins to replace his sadness and consternation with unbridled rage that immediately controls him. He turns around, and he finds that unknown sadist: his right hand and forearm are covered by a cyan armor that looks like a glove and seems to be made of living tissue, that "glove" has a cyan laser cannon in his hand's palm, and that being had used that laser cannon to kill Rouge.

Shadow runs to him to "teach him a lesson", but the mysterious being, almost unperturbed, uses his other hand to punch Shadow in the face while he's still running. Surprised and disoriented by the blow, the hedgehog falls backwards.

* * *

When Shadow recovers, he feels as if he has been unconscious for about ten minutes. But when he looks at his surroundings, he finds the very desolation.

Mobius has become an uninhabitable planet, all cities has been destroyed, the fields are infertile, he himself is standing on a mountain of human and mobian skeletons... It's as if the world had suffered a nuclear hecatombe, much worse than what happened 12 thousand years ago because of the Xordas, and very similar to what the ancient human civilization had feared during its last half century of existence. The "Ultimate Lifeform" tries to look further, and he discovers that the only presence besides his own is that of armies of  _Black Arms_ , who here are more evolved than  _Black Doom_ 's troops, and some of them are more like that stranger of his nightmares.

"What's this?"

"The Future, Shadow." The stranger appears at his side, contemplating the almost deserted landscape of which he seems to enjoy. "My Future, and yours too, if you cooperate."

Shadow can't believe what he's seeing.

"This is a nightmare..." He turns to the stranger. "I'm still in the nightmare, you didn't let me go..."

"Are you sure, brother?"

Smiling, the mysterious being turns to the hedgehog, who becomes enraged again and throws himself on him. Both fall to the ground and roll down a ravine; once their fall ends, Shadow tries to get up but feels very tired physically; then, he sees the body of a female mobian bat, and that triggers memories of him.

Shadow turns to the other.  **"YOU F***ING SON OF A B****! YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED EVERYONE! HOW ABOUT YOU TRY TO KILL ME, YOU FAGGOT?!"**

"Those beings were inferior to both of us. Their deaths were necessary, besides that they deserved them. By the way, you shouldn't insult me, or at least you shouldn't do it by the phrase 'son of a b****'. I personally don't get offended, but one could say that you're insulting yourself."

Shadow soon realizes what the apparent creator of this "nightmare world" means.

"You're a  _Black Arm_... Now I get it. How could I have been so stupid?"

"Don't get surprised: you sworn to defend this pathetic world and its even more pathetic inhabitants, you trusted them... It's expected that something like this will happen. But it's time for you to break up with that unjustified obedience, which doesn't allow you to exploit your full potential."

"But who are you? You look different, and all of them too."

"I was waiting for you to ask me."

"Let me guess: you're not going to tell me, so I'll not give you away when I wake up from this dream. And yes, I just realized that all this was built by you, that you got into my mind by taking advantage of both of us having been connected to the hive-mind."

"Actually, I'm gonna tell you my plans; I'll tell it to you 'cause they're already very advanced, and I know that neither you nor your friends can stop me, even though they know even the smallest details of my plans. But I'll tell you everything with one condition: you mentioned the link between our minds, right?"

Shadow's "brother" snaps his fingers again.

_"Shadow?"_

The hedgehog turns around, and he meets with Rouge: for some strange reason, she's alive again, she looks the same as always, and she doesn't seem affected in the least by this post-apocalyptic environment, psychologically or physically, as if nothing had happened to her.

"Are you okay, Shadow? Is there something I have to know?"

"Rouge! Rouge, do you realize what's going on? Wait... Why do I feel that way? I'm not like that normally-"

"Oh, I think that was my doing." The stranger says. "And so will  **this**."

He runs forward and, using the spikes on his forearms, cuts Rouge's throat before she can even react.

**"NO!"**

Losing blood quickly, the female agent of GUN kneels on the ground while grabbing her neck, and she tries to ask Shadow for help, but she falls dead a few seconds later. Before Shadow can do anything, the stranger makes a deep cut in his side, and then another, and another, and another; all the cuts are in different parts of Shadow's body, and they're done with a certain space of time between them to allow Shadow's organism to regenerate the damaged tissues. It's obvious that evolved  _Black Arm_ , the same one that politely calls him "brother", wants to torture him. At one point, three copies of him appear and attack Shadow at the same time; it's easy for him to realize that, indeed, this isn't the Real World and that stranger is taking advantage of that fact.

Finally, he gives a break to the "Ultimate Lifeform".

"First of all... My name is Eclipse, New Leader of the  _Black Arms_. And if you thought you could know my plans without me taking advantage to make you pay with your suffering, you're very wrong."

* * *

[Meanwhile, in the Real World...]

"BUT HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL IT TO YOU, IMBECILE FRENCHY?!"

Fiona and Antoine are discussing in the coyote's room's living room. She's also dressed in casual clothes now.

"Fiona, I think you're not thinking  _clairement_ -"

"Don't give me that sexist crap!"

" _Quoi_...?"

"Don't pretend you don't know anything. You men always do the same. I start to think Nic was right in some things about you: y'all only care about sex, and y'all use us, the women, as a trophy-"

"I'm not  _comme ça_   _et_  you know it.  _Au fait_ , is that why you broke up with Tails?"

"NO-! Wait-! YES! Yes, that's why I broke up with him!"

"You're comparing Tails with Scourge. Do you realize that?"

*sigh* "Yeah, I couldn't believe it either when Miles showed his true colors."

The coyote is silent.

"Did he... hit you?"

"Actually... No..."

"Did he abuse you in any way?"

"Well... I don't know if it'd technically be a form of abuse, but I think it's pretty close to-"

"What did he do  _ **exactement**_?" The soldier, within himself, starts to get angry: partly, because of the possibility that a great friend of his had done such bad things at the same time that he deceived them all, and partly, also because of the inaccurate answers of the red vixen.

"So far, nothing."

"¿Nothing?  _Alors_ , what are you based on to say he doesn't treat you well?"

"I- It's rather a premonition, a hunch."

The coyote is trying his best to understand what's happening, while Fiona continues talking.

"I have the feeling he was using me to show others he had a girlfriend... as if he were saying "Hey! Look at me, everyone! I won the love of a  _femme fatale_! Behold how cool I am!"... And he did it to get some "social status". Have I explained it well?" She pauses. "Since shortly after meeting me, Miles has seen Sonic as a competitor rather than as a friend, so I wouldn't be so foolish when I say this, don't you think?"

" _Oui_... What you say is interesting..." Antoine gets even more angry, but he still tries to hold back his anger and walks slowly from side to side. " _Mais_  I can't believe you're saying that about  _mon meilleur ami_.  _C'est un outrage_... " He turns to Fiona. " _Il_  gave everything  _pour_   _toi_ -"

"I'm sure he only did it to get my sympathy-"

" _Il_  loved you!  _Et_   _Il_  still loves you,  _j'en suis sûr_! Do you want concrete proof of his love?! ¡ _Alors_  here you have a proof: Why do you think  _il_  was willing to hide his relationship with you for so long?! No one in Knothole knew about it for months!  _Et_  for several more months, only  _moi_   _et_  a few other people in his inner circle knew it! Do you still think  _il_  used you as a trophy, in the same way Scourge did?!"

"Miles' situation was fragile when he began his relationship with me. He waited until he had a more solid position, to then take advantage and obtain fame."

" _Il_  has an iron will;  _il_  has it since shortly after you betrayed us, a couple of months before you came back  _et_  you started being his friend. You know what I'm talking about, you know him better than I do. If  _il_  had wanted to use you to become a  _célébrité_  and surpass Sonic, he'd have done it, no matter what Sally, Sonic and others might say." He pauses. " _Mais_   _il_  agreed to fulfill your wishes, and  _il_  hid everything;  _je ne sais pas_  if  _il_ understood your reasons for wanting that  _ou_  if  _il_  thought your fears were absurd,  _mais_  what matters is that  _il_  always obeyed you;  _et_  if circumstances had allowed him to keep everything secret and you had told him to keep doing it,  _il_   _sûrement_  would have."

Tails' former girlfriend starts to get nervous, she tries to answer but she can't. Then, Antoine puts a hand on her shoulder and speaks again.

"Now that I think about it, I think you did well to question Tails' actions: that criticism needs to be made, and the fact that you've done it proves that you're someone capable and independent; I'm sure Tails wouldn't only take your doubts into account and try to be someone better, but he'd also admire you even more than he used to."

The coyote takes his hand off Fiona's shoulder, and he pauses for a long time.

"But I feel there's something you didn't say; I feel you broke up with Tails for another reason, not only have you asked yourself questions about him but also about yourself, and that led you to break up with him. Tails needs to know, because he still loves you; I also need to know, because I consider you a great friend and comrade and I care you. Tails doesn't want to be your boyfriend again if you don't want it; at this moment, the only thing he cares is knowing the truth."

Both remain silent and totally quiet, looking at each other, until Shadow, desperate and dragging an astonished Procion, bursts into the room. Lightning also enters right behind them.

"Shadow, What's going on?" The coyote asks, surprised.

"We have to go to GUN's HQ, right now!" Shadow says.

The hedgehog firmly takes Fiona's hand, who in turn takes Antoine's hand; meanwhile, Shadow also holds the raccoon's and the lynx's hands.

"Chaos Control!"

The five teleport themselves.

* * *

Tower: "So, indeed one of our greatest fears has materialized: the  _Black Arms_  have returned."

Shadow: "Not exactly, Sir."

The ten members of the team, plus the Commander Tower, are gathered in the Conference Room.

Shadow: "After I killed  _Black Doom_ , his place was taken by a more evolved  _Black Arm_. His name is Eclipse, and he's a pure  _Black Arm_ , not a hybrid like me; but like me, he was created in a laboratory, he has powers apparently related to the Chaos Force, and he can think independently and at the same time be connected to a hive-mind..."

The hedgehog glances at Rouge. It's the third time he has done so since he arrived at the HQ. He doesn't seem to be doing it to admire her beauty, but to check she's still healthy and safe.

Shadow: "Before the defeat of  _Black Doom_ , he had passed through a planet inhabited by a peaceful species called 'Wisp', and he had abducted some individuals to combine their DNA with that of the  _Black Arms_ , creating new and more evolved beings, called 'Dark Arms'. At first, the  _Dark Arms_  were to be used to turn the  _Black Arm_  soldiers into super-soldiers; but when I defeated them, the ordinary  _Black Arms_  throughout their Empire began to lose their intelligence or even to fall into a vegetative state, the Empire was about to collapse, and Eclipse had to take power despite his lack of preparation, to be the leader of a new hive-mind and to use his experimental  _Dark Arms_  as a replacement for the ordinary  _Black Arms_. Now, the Empire of the  _Dark Arms_  has achieved the stability and power that their predecessors used to have in this galaxy, and Eclipse's new subjects have built another mothership, a second  _Black Comet_ , with which they'd be even more difficult to defeat than the  _Black Arms_."

Amadeus: "Let me guess: those who helped Finitevus were Eclipse and the Dark Arms."

Shadow: "Precisely."

Amadeus: "And what happens now between them? Did that alliance break?"

Shadow: "Eclipse didn't mention anything about it, he only mentioned he helped Finitevus 'behind the scenes' and the two of them together would conquer Mobius, but he didn't say anything else. However, considering what we know about Finitevus and Eclipse, I'm sure this alliance will break sooner or later."

Rouge: "How did you get to know all this?"

Shadow: "Eclipse relies heavily on his own plans: he thinks that, no matter if I know them or not, it's too late for us to frustrate them; in fact, he trusts himself to the point that he mentally connected with me first to tell me all this..."

Everyone is silent, thinking Shadow is going to say something more, but he doesn't say anything for a few seconds either.

Shadow: *sigh* "He also took the opportunity to torture me... mentally... He created a nightmare, which seemed more real than any dream about my origin, about Maria or about the  _Black Arms_."

Proción: "Okay... [tries to think of something to change the topic] You mentioned some aliens, the  _Wisps_."

Shadow: "Yes, it is..."

Proción: "I know someone from the Resistance who has also been in contact with the  _Wisps_  and has created a bond with them: she's an agent who calls herself 'Whisper', and she even wrote a book about them. I think I remember that all of us, the Freedom Fighters, have access to that book."

Tower: "That's right."

GUN's chief accesses the computer in the Conference Room, navigates a bit through GUN's Data Secret Network, and finds an edition of " _Whisper_ 's Guide of the  _Wisps_  for the Resistance and its allies": its first page has a stamp with GUN's symbol, another with the Freedom Fighters' symbol, and another that says "Top Secret".

Proción: "I'll explain this so we don't have to spend time reading a whole book... The  _Wisps_ ' bodies have an energy similar to our Chaos Energy: it's called 'Hyper-Go-On'. If you wanna use the  _Hyper-Go-On_  of a  _Wisp_ , you must use only the fraction of energy that the creature gives you voluntarily, and this will transform your body in different ways and will grant you different skills, depending on which race the used  _Wisp_  belongs to; on the other hand, if you force the  _Wisp_  to give all its  _Hyper-Go-On_ , it'll still be alive but it'll become a  _Nega-Wisp_ , who will go out in search of energy and won't have such benevolent intentions."

Lightning: [thoughtful] "The  _Dark Arms_  may also have at least a little  _Hyper-Go-On_. We may need that information to fight them."

Tower: "With the help of  _Whisper_ , Hope developed a set of weapons that work with the  _Hyper-Go-On_  of  _Wisp_  individuals: we've called them 'Wispons', and they could help us to confront the  _Dark Arms_."

Proción: "I have  _Whisper_  among the contacts on my cell phone. I can call her to come help us."

Antoine: " _Excellente idée_ , Leo. We could also call Hope to help us a little."

Rouge: "I doubt she wants to work with us, especially with Shadow and me."

Fiona: "Yeah, I get it... Solving things like these can be complicated."

Shadow: "Maybe Rouge and I should stay out of this mission-"

_"That won't be necessary."_

Everyone turns to the Conference Room's door, and there they find Hope Kintobor with some kind of  _Wispon_  resting on her right shoulder.

The  _Wispon_ 's back has a rather simple shape, like the handle of an umbrella. After the stock, behind the trigger and the safety, the weapon has a quantum reactor in miniature attached to each side. Just in front of the back, behind the trigger and the safety mechanism, the weapon has a miniature quantum reactor attached to each side. Just in front of the trigger and the safety mechanism, there are two hollow hemispherical pieces; the edges of these pieces are separated by an additional intermediate space, but the hemispheres' centers are joined by a retractable rod, and when a  _Wisp_  (which provides the fraction of  _Hyper-Go-On_  with which the  _Wispon_  works) enters there, the rod retracts, closing the sphere. In the  _Wispon_ 's front, the "barrel" is formed by four pieces, which are held together or separated depending on what the weapon's user does.

Hope is escorted by two  _Wisps_ : small, sympathetic-looking creatures whose bodies are able to levitate and basically consist of a head with the eyes (or the eye, if the Wisp has only one) in front, short and flat tentacles (usually, three) underneath, and a few tufts of hair, a spike or antennae on top. One of the  _Wisps_  doesn't stop moving but its movements are quite coordinated, it's of an intense cyan color, it has two eyes with orange irises and permanently frowning, it has a spike bent backwards at the top of its head, its central tentacle is shaped like a lightning, and its other two tentacles also have the shape of a simple spike at the tips; the other  _Wisp_  looks out of focus and very vivacious, it's orange-red, its head has a shape similar to that of a flame and that of a tear at the same time, it has three eyes with blue iris that form a triangle, and its tentacles are a little wavy, similar to flames.

Hope: [to Shadow] "The world is in serious danger, and I know y'all wanna fight for a good cause now. I still couldn't forgive you or Rouge or many of you for joining in on that stupidity of the Civil War, but... Do you really think I'm gonna deny you my help at a time like this, just 'cause of an unsolved personal issue?"

* * *

[Meanwhile, in Westopolis...]

Tails: "In spite of everything I've lived, there are some things about romance I've never understood, and which you could help me solve."

Jason: "You shouldn't think too much about that.-"

Tails: "But I can't get it outta my head, I wanna understand better what happens around me."

Ioana: " _Bine_  ["bine", "okay"] ... Go ahead."

Tails: "Alright... You know Princess Sally Acorn and Sonic, right?"

Betty: "Of course we know them!"

Tails: "Well... They've always loved each other, and both always knew it, but they took a long time to recognize it and officially start a relationship. While they were 'single', they used to use all sorts of stratagems when it came to relating to each other, almost as if they were playing poker: they used to seek to make the other think something specific, but they didn't seek to make  **the best**  impression on the other, as if they still didn't wanna be together. And this makes me wonder: Why can't people be honest about it?"

Antxon: "Tails, those things usually happen because of only one very simple thing: fear of being rejected."

Tails: "Even so, no matter if you're sincere or you play that twisted game of sentimental chess, 'cause you still have the same chances of being rejected or accepted. What are they looking for? Keep alive the magic of a romance that doesn't even exist?"

Aretxa: "Tails, They're urban myths, so don't take them seriously. Like the myth that we women can't get pregnant when we have sex with a man for the first time."

Ioana: "Or like the myth that, when the man wanna have sex and the woman says no, she actually means yes."

Aretxa: "That one is the worst of all."

Antxon: "There's also the myth that all poor women get pregnant in order to earn the social insurance."

Tails: "That one ain't only offensive and prejudiced, but also absurd: how much money is that social insurance for mothers? The tenth part of a basic salary? That would be the minimum necessary to keep a pregnant mother healthy and then take care of the baby! Having children to make money by collecting social security wouldn't be profitable at all, and people realize it."

Douglas: "How did we go from talking about boyfriends to talking about social insurance?"

Betty: "It's what happens when you start talking about interesting things."

Tails: "Let's go back to the original issue. Another thing I don't understand is when two people ain't happy being together, they don't have the best opinion about the other, they feel much better with their respective friends, and yet they're still together."

Antxon: "Yeah, the parents of Aretxa and mine are going through the same thing: they don't tolerate each other, and they hate those of the opposite sex; our old woman enjoys talking with her friends at work, and our old man has fun watching soccer matches with his old high school classmates."

Tails: "They should be honest, not only with others but also with themselves: if they have a better time with friends of the same sex than with someone of the opposite sex, they should become homosexual. At least they'd stop being a bunch of pathetic hypocrites."

Betty: "That's done by those marriages of people over 50 years old, and they stay together 'cause their stupid traditions dictate it to them, or 'cause they're already used to them."

Tails: "But so do teenage couples! The boy lacks respect for the girl, and the girl also lacks respect for the boy, but later, everyone talks about love and how cute the other is. Look: I ain't a moralist, nor would I like to be, and I'm totally against that formal treatment that used to be between husband and wife or between parents and children, but I know love doesn't include mistreating the one you supposedly loves, nor belittling its intelligence!"

Jason: "Speaking of which, the  _trap_  music became fashionable again."

Tails: "Don't f*** with me..."

Aretxa: [looking at the street] "And speaking of Rome..."

Everyone looks to where the frog woman is watching, and they see a white limousine parking on the opposite sidewalk. From it come several mobians and humans, more than that limousine could theoretically accommodate, and each of them is in different states of drunkenness. The men wear hooded jackets, jeans and sneakers, they only have a shirt under the jacket, they don't wear stockings, and some of them wear a visored cap, even when they have the jacket's hood on top of it; the jackets have patches covering rips, but the uncovered parts are in very good condition, and something similar happens with the pants; the dirt seems to have been intentionally put on the clothes the day before; their sneakers look as if they were expensive and newly purchased, and not a few of them wear watches made of genuine gold and with genuine diamonds encrusted; they wear their pants slightly below the hip, revealing a generous portion of their boxer shorts, and at least half of them have one of their hands moving inside a torn pocket of their pants. The gang's women, very few compared to the men, wear clothes that almost don't hide anyting and make them look like stereotypes of prostitutes or sexual slaves; they are full of tattoos that mostly include insults to themselves and not very polite compliments, and they have bruises they try to hide with abundant makeup.

The band that traveled in the limousine roughly makes its way through the crowd and enters the coffee shop. One of them, who seems to be the leader, addresses the cofee shop's owner.

Gang's leader: [using a slightly depressed tone, due to alcohol's effect] "Good morning,  _man_... Some beers for the guys here..."

Coffee shop's owner: "You and your rabble still owe me money, kid. First pay me, and then we'll talk."

Tails: "Woah... It seems someone ain't cool enough to pay their debts on time."

Gang's leader: [gets angry suddenly, also due to alcohol's effect] "But what's wrong with you, fag?! Don't mess with the Ghetto Baby, 'cause I can make your head spin like a peg-top!"

Betty: "You don't even know what's a peg-top. And you used the first person and the third person in the same sentence, in case you didn't notice. Oh, I remember now... You also dunno what's that, right?"

The gang's leader looks at Betty as if he doesn't understand anything.

Betty: "By the way...  _Ghetto Baby_? What kind of ridiculous name is that?!"

Douglas: "You shouldn't use that stage name: there have been people put in real ghettos, ad they didn't have a good time there. Also, you were in a mansion all your life, so you don't have the right to talk about it-"

 _Guetto Baby_ : "Stop playing the lawyer, fag!"

Tails: "Do you call 'fag' all those who you don't like, without even caring if they're homosexual or not? What a wide vocabulary you have, huh..."

Jason: "Listen to me,  _man_ : you're gonna leave here with your 'friends' and you'll take your  _trap_  music with you, or we'll beat you here, we'll teach you a little humanity and we'll put the true  _rap_  in your ass-"

 _Ghetto Baby_ : "Get on your knees and beg your pardon, you motherf***er!  _Trap_  is God-!"

Ioana: "Wait: Exactly, what's the  _trap_  music?"

Several of those present, surprised that the tomboy rat asked that, look at her.

 _Ghetto Baby_ : "Shut up, asshole! You don't f***ing get anything!"

Jason: "What? Now you say that asking is wrong,  _Ghetto Baby_? Or are you afraid of having to tell people what's the  _trap_  music? She doesn't know, but 'cause she's busy working as a mechanic, instead of being a w**** serving people like you. [pauses, and then turns to Ioana] In South-East Northamer, shortly before the Xordas' attack, appeared a variant of the  _rap_  called 'trap'. [He gives an occasional look at the  _Ghetto Baby_ ] It was called that 'cause of the places where drugs were sold illegally, although also the illegal drug sale itself used to be called like that. The  _trap_  music is sad and dark, it gives more importance to the sound effects, it has almost no melody, it usually ignores the prosody and even the rhyme..."

 _Ghetto Baby_ : "You're an old man! Who cares about those stuff?! ¡Only old people talk about things like rhyme!"

Antxon: [ignores the  _Ghetto Baby_ ] "Oh, yes, I remember my schoolmates listened to that shit. The  _trap_  is anything but music."

The  _Ghetto Baby_  gets increasingly angry. His drunkenness doesn't help.

Douglas: "But the worst are the songs' lyrics. [to Ioana] Look... What Jay, Betty and I do, which is traditional  _rap_ , denounces the problems in society and calls people to rebel against an unfair system. Yeah, we use insults, but very occasionally. We do both songs in English and songs in Spanish, but we don't put English words into the lyrics of the songs in Spanish; after all, no one puts Spanish words into the lyrics of songs in English, so why should we do it the other way around?"

 _Ghetto Baby_ : "Are you also one of those old men?! That must be why you and Jay are such a good couple!"

Betty: [Imitating Antxon's example, ignores the  _Ghetto Baby_ ] "Besides, we disrespect only the rich and powerful people we denounce, not all women or homosexuals or those who like to remain single. We'd be a bunch of hypocrites if we did, since I'm a woman with a girlfriend and the two men I help make music with are also in a relationship."

Ioana: "What? Are there women making  _trap_? Women singing something with insults to themselves? That's stupid!"

Betty: "And another thing: In some lyrics, to notice sexism is a bit difficult, but in other lyrics, it's really explicit. Wait..."

The mechanic girl's girlfriend takes out a cell phone and searches for something on the Internet. Finally she finds something: the lyrics of a  _trap_ song, one of the most listened to.

Betty: "Listen to this: [quotes verbatim] I'm in love with four babies. / They always give me what I want. / I fuck them when I say it. / None tells me a but. / Two are married. / There's also a single one. / The other one is kinda psycho. / And if I don't call her, she gets mad. [stops reciting the lyrics] I'll not continue, 'cause if I do, I'll throw up on someone..." [looks threateningly at the  _Ghetto Baby_ ]

 _Ghetto Baby_ : "Oh, fine... The lesbian is too decent to stand the lyrics of a song..."

Tails: "Decency has nothing to do with this-"

 _Ghetto Baby_ : "And who asked you?!"

Jason: "He'll talk when he feels like it!"

Tails: "I don't need you to defend me, Jay, although I appreciate it. [to the  _Ghetto Baby_ ] What I was gonna say is that our criticisms of the  _trap_ ain't based on things like decency and morality, which are usually quite hypocritical."

 _Ghetto Baby_ : "But you want the girls to live hiding their bodies. If they wanna show it, they can do it 'cause they're free-"

Tails: "Don't play the feminist now, you liar. Previously, male chauvinism was expressed by forcing the woman to cover herself and to remain faithful to her husband, who was usually the result of an arranged marriage where she couldn't give her opinion, and prostitutes were treated as disposable objects with even less value than 'decent' women."

 _Ghetto Baby_ : "That's what you want!"

Tails: [ignores the  _Ghetto Baby_ ] "But the fashions have been reversed: now, society orders women to uncover and be almost promiscuous, and it's thought that the woman who decides not to do any of this is bad. And y'all ain't rebelling against anything, y'all are just doing the same thing that was done before: prevent the woman from deciding whether to be single or not, who to be with and who not, when to feel pleasure and when not, when to show her physical beauty and when not."

The human gangster is about to respond, but the two-tailed fox furiously interrupts him.

Tails: "And don't dare to say the  _trap_  is now what  _rock_  was in its classical era or what  _rap_  was when it was born. Your 'music' ain't critical, nor does it question society, nor does it break with any taboo; that was already done decades before the  _trap_  was born, and many did it through letters with deeper meanings, breaking with the male chauvinist ideas, without using excessive insults or filthy lyrics, so y'all ain't even original."

 _Ghetto Baby_ : "Shut the f*** up! You dunno what you're talking about! Did you know that...?!"

Tails: "That the big record companies didn't wanna release your songs at the beginning? That you had to release them online? That doesn't mean anything, and it only shows how pathetic you are."

 _Ghetto Baby_ : "We faced the system! We've hit it where it hurts the most!"

Tails: "Bullshit! Your lyrics don't claim that politicians do things better, they don't call for revolution, and they don't even genuinely represent the living conditions of the people of the shantytowns, the same shantytowns y'all supposedly come from. I can say, from my own experience, that the shantytowns' people are much better than most of the people I met in my life; of course, they're much better than you, and very different from what you describe in your songs."

Suddenly, it seems that the  _trap_  composer has a moment of lucidity in the middle of his drunkenness, and he gives a strange look to Tails.

 _Ghetto Baby_ : "You're saying all that 'cause you broke up with your girlfriend, right?"

Now it seems that the human has touched a nerve of Tails. Everyone around the fox starts to worry.

 _Ghetto Baby_ : "Of course... Now I get it: You're angry 'cause you don't wanna accept you didn't get to satisfy Fiona-"

Tails: [growling] "How the f*** did you know it?"

 _Ghetto Baby_ : "I have contacts."

Meanwhile, a male white mouse -member of the gang- approaches Aretxa. He has blond hair, he evidently someone very neat despite his attempts to look dirty, and he's accompanied by a lizard and a meerkat, both female and mobians and also members of the gang.

White mouse: "Hey,  _babe_.. Would you like to join the club? I can let you have a good time with  **my**  two chicks. I enjoy looking from afar, too..."

Aretxa's only response is a spit shot with prodigious marksmanship. The white mouse, still drunk, responds with a strong slap at the frog girl. His brother Antxon responds furiously with a punch, which breaks one of his teeth and pushes him back.

A second later, the debate about the  _trap_  has already turned into a bar fight. Tails uses his double tail and his water super-pistols to hurt the gangsters without endangering their lives; Antxon and Aretxa, taking advantage of the fact that they have some poisonous toads among their ancestors, poison other gangsters just by touching them; Ioana, Jason and Douglas use their physical strength, either against Mobians or against humans, and Betty attacks with empty bottles and with the big, sharp pieces that break off from them. The  _Ghetto Baby_  and his followers use knives and other weapons, but Tails and his friends avoid being killed. The others present, frightened, run away from there.

* * *

New Mobotropolis. 5:30 AM, Local Time; 10:00 AM, Westopolis Time; 10:30 AM, Central City Time.

Sonic and Sally are still sleeping in a hut, sharing a double bed. The landline phone next to Sally starts to ring, and the former princess wakes up and answers the call.

"Hello?"

_"Are you Sally Alicia Acorn?"_

"Yeah... What's going on? Who are you?"

_"We're Westopolis Police. It's about Miles Prower, the child that used to be under your care. We need you to come here."_

The worry makes the chipmunk wake up completely. "I'll go there as soon as possible. With a little luck, I'll be there at nightfall."

_"We'll be waiting for you."_

* * *

Several hours later...

Westopolis Airport. 9:00 PM, Local Time; 4:30 PM, New Mobotropolis Time.

Tails and Sally have just finished dinner at a restaurant inside the airport. They're still waiting for the plane that will take them back to the Republic of Acorn.

"Tails, why are you still getting into trouble?"

He smiles proudly, much like Sonic does. "You know that's what I'm best at."

"I mean something else: are you doing this to get over your breakup?"

"..."

"C'mon, admit it: you're doing this because of Fiona."

"It... It's probable."

"Well, that's not the way to get over it. Trust me: it'll not do you any good."

Tails, a little embarrassed, looks to one side.

"Now, tell me." Sally approaches her former protégé. "When that 'Mileidi' appeared there to discuss, did you give him his due?" She whispers to him with a crooked smile.

"Everything is in a video. You can look for it"

The chipmunk makes a short laugh. "It was time. I couldn't stand how he deformed our ideas about Freedom."

"Actually, I think I overstepped a bit: he almost died of a heart attack when the debate was almost over."

"Really? *sigh* You should be more careful. That, and not to get into bar fights."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Theocratic: of the Theocracy, a form of government in which the political leader is at the same time the religious leader. For example: Egyptian pharaohs.
> 
> Keynesian: of the economist John Maynard Keynes and his ideas.
> 
> Think tank: a body of experts providing advice and ideas on specific political or economic problems.
> 
> Sepoy: an indian soldier of the 18th and 19th centuries at the service of an European colonial empire (for example: Great Britain, France, Portugal). Here, it refers to a person serving the foreign interests of another country, especially if that person holds a political office.


	12. Chapter 11: Loud as a Whisper.

The next day...

Station Square, City-State of the United Federation. 8:00 AM, Local Time; 11:00 AM, Central City Time.

The urban landscape of this city contrasts with the thick jungle surrounding it and extending through almost the whole North Soumerca. An extensive portion of the said forest, a short distance south of the great city founded by humans, is a "Restricted Area" surrounded by guard posts and several soldiers of GUN.

Some humans passed nearby and, when seeing how those troops guarded the area, they imagined all sorts of crazy conspiracy theories: that there had been some clandestine experiment there to create living weapons similar to the famous Shadow, that this place was used for nuclear tests that shouldn't have been done, that they were investigating some kind of super-volcano similar to the one under a geyser in Mid-Western Northamer, and so on.

But the unsuspecting citizens who have seen that Restricted Zone from outside couldn't even imagine the kind of things inside it...

* * *

Several  _Wisps_  of different races run or fly among the trees, not far from the ground, while they're playing. This area is full of these aliens, so benevolent and adorable but also so powerful. From a treetop, a mobian watches over them: the legendary  _Whisper_.

She's a young Indian wolf. She has biscotti colored fur, long hair of the same color, tied in a ponytail by a black hairband, with a thick tuft hanging in front of her right eye, and small strands protruding at the sides of her neck; white fur around the eyes and between them; brownish skin, visible in her snout, her arms and the upper part of her chest; a rather thin body, with a beautiful silhouette but with bust, buttocks and hips not very noticeable; a bushy tail with several strands protruding at the tip; eyes which remain half-closed and have cadet blue iris and light gray eyeshadow; a mouth usually in a natural frown and with slightly protruding fangs, and an outfit designed for use in combat: a beige strapless top; black clawed gloves with gray palms; dark gray sleeves that cover her forearms and elbows and include black elbow guards; tight gray pants; black knee guards, and black steel-toed combat boots.

Although she's an independent agent well respected in the Resistance,  _Whisper_  was never officially part of it. Moreover, many still think she's a legend, and the only concrete things known about her are her help in the war and her guide about the  _Wisps_ ; this is because  _Whisper_  always stayed "in the shadows", avoiding any kind of contact with the Resistance, firing from terraces, scaffolding and other high and safe places, using her adaptable  _Wispon_  able to use the  _Hyper-Go-On_  of different races of  _Wisp_.

One day, a young Knothole villager, who had been part of the Royal Army of Acorn and had surprisingly reached the rank of Lieutenant before Robotnik's coup d'etat, was intrigued by her (without even knowing her age or sex), so he set out to meet  _Whisper_  in person and convince her to make herself known to the Freedom Fighters. The former soldier had a special attribute for tracking people, and finally, he found the elusive "Guardian Angel of the Resistance", as people used to call her.

 _Whisper_  was cold when it came to fighting and she preferred to keep the distance, she had extraordinary abilities, she had trained on her own, and she had frustrated on its own an attempt by Robotnik to use the powers of some  _Wisps_  who had somehow arrived at Mobius; but she was extremely shy and introverted, she was disciplined in all areas of life, she had been very traumatized because of what the dictator did to her and her family (even when she herself was never roboticized), she used to spoke in whispers and used to say only one word or two at a time, and the only ones she trusted were the  _Wisps_  she had saved. On the contrary, that villager was a fierce fighter who liked to fight closely, he had trained formally in the Royal Army but had chosen to live like a civilian when he realized his abilities were almost useless in a war like the one the Resistance was fighting against Robotnik, and if he had the opportunity to participate in the war, he preferred to always do so as part of a team; he knew how to be disciplined on the battlefield and at the same time be someone happy, relaxed and carefree in life as a civilian, he had an ability to relate to others and make friends, he was extroverted and cheeky, and he even publicly admitted his liking for other boys for years.

The "lone wolf" and the former soldier didn't take long to form a strong bond: he had become more interested in her and her personality, and he was sincerely concerned about her emotional welfare; she had grown fond of him and even felt a little more motivated to open up to others. Meanwhile, he contacted some influential members of the Resistance, who decided to keep secret all knowledge about  _Whisper_ , given how vital she and her abilities were, her difficulty in relating to others, the power of the  _Wisps_  with whom she formed that bond, and the express requests of the own  _Whisper_  and the former Lieutenant. Shortly thereafter, Commander Tower offered to provide a cozy, safe and secluded home to the "lone wolf" and her alien friends; following  _Whisper_ 's wishes, that new home was this huge Restricted Area in the middle of the Soumerca jungle.

_"_ _Whisper_ _?!"_

("That voice...") The she-wolf thinks.

She looks to the side and below her, finding out the one who called her.

("It's him. No doubt")  _Whisper_  makes a little smile and immediately drops to the ground.

Once she's back on her feet, she timidly makes a barely audible whisper:

"Leonidas..."

Lieutenant Leonidas Proción, dressed in his uniform of the Royal Army of Acorn, stands in front of her and gets to hear the whisper. "Hope I've not interrupted anything important."

"Don't worry." Again, she says this in a whisper, which the raccoon manages to hear anyway.

He approaches  _Whisper_  very carefully, kneels politely in front of her and looks into her eyes. The she-wolf seems surprised by this gesture.

"No need..."

"I don't care,  _Whisper_. I wanna keep showing you I'm not a menace."

She stays still for a few seconds, until she slowly kneels too, ending up very close to the soldier. Then, always moving slowly, she gives a deep kiss to Leonidas, who returns the gesture. They both hug each other tightly, the kiss becomes more and more passionate, and then she starts touching Procion in other places and kissing his neck, causing a very low moan from the raccoon.

"That's the  _Whisper_  I knew..."

* * *

Half an hour later, in a hut built in a glade in the middle of the Restricted Area, both are in a bed, naked and covered by a sheet. They're tired, sweaty and dishevelled, and this time the she-wolf has her eyes wide open and is smiling.

"You were great." The raccoon says. "Especially when you did it to me with that dildo. It takes skill for that."

"Thank you." This time,  _Whisper_  speaks a little louder and sounds a little more confident. "You also made me see the stars like never before."

"Hehe... I'm the best, right? For men and for women, me being the dominant or the submissive, I'm always irresistible."

"So, did you keep taking other men to your bed?"

"Oh, yes, a lot of boys have ended up in my clutches, and I ended up in those of many other boys too. Both things happened to me with some women too. But no boyfriend or girlfriend can be compared to you: you're so nice, so understanding, so beautiful, so peaceful- Well, except in bed: here you really do honour to your wolf heritage. And you're also so expressive, even when you're shy. Especially when you're shy."

She blushes intensely, and he notices it easily.

"There you have it! *sigh* My very soul is touched when you smile like that, when you blush, when you open those blue eyes I could behold all day long..."

Both remain in their places, in silence, for a while.

"Is there a particular reason why you came here today, Leonidas? Does it have anything to do with the new threat of Finitevus' army?"

"I knew you'd find it out. Anyway... We need your help, your experience with the  _Wisps_ : Finitevus and his ally have potentially dangerous troops, a sort of  _Black Arm_ - _Wisp_  hybrid."

The she-wolf's face becomes serious when she hears the name of the  _Black Arms_.

"Shadow is with you guys, right?"

"Of course. His powers are very necessary, as well as his knowledge about the  _Black Arms_."

*sigh* Again, she squints and whispers. "I'll have to work with him."

He hugs her tenderly. "Please,  _Whisper_ , you have to get over it-"

"Easy to say..." She speaks again a little louder, but her voice is trembling.

The raccoon responds by hugging her more closely and caressing her, trying to make her "friend" feel safe again. "He no longer works for Snively, nor for Eggman himself, nor for the original Robotnik, nor for anyone in his empire."

She begins to cry, and her tears drag the grey eyeshadow, painting her cheeks. The soldier sees this, but he refuses to say the classic "Don't cry, please", and he tries to say something helpful.

"I also had to see how they robotized my family and a boyfriend whom I loved very much. I also lost people, not only all of them but also my mentor, who had treated me almost like a son. And yet, I'm willing to work with Shadow, 'cause I know that he's now a good mobian, that he had nothing to do with all this, and that he had reason to ally with Snively at that time. Besides, he has traumatic memories of his own too, he lost loved ones too."

"But he's still capable of doing those atrocities, either on behalf of Eggman or on behalf of that alien empire."

"And he's also doing everything possible not to do it. The only way he could turn against us is by brainwashing, which will be very difficult to do 'cause he will avoid it at all costs. Please,  _Whisper_ , trust him."

Procion gently takes the she-wolf's chin and makes her look at him, and then he wipes away the tears mixed with eyeshadow.

"I swear you'll be safe with me, and there's a whole team that will protect you if Shadow ends up brainwashed."

"That's another problem: I cannot work with a team, you know-"

"Easy, my tender little wolf. I'll take care of that."

He gives her a little kiss.

"Leo..."

Surprisingly, Whisper makes Procion roll and she ends up sitting astride him. Now she's wide-eyed and seems to be very much looking forward to something involving very intimate contact with her "friend".

"Whoa... Are you ready for the Second Round, little wolf?"

* * *

Another three and a half hours later...

Near a park in the Fairfax District, on Station Square, there's a big building a few floors high: GUN's offices in this city-State, a building that people often just call "Fairfax".

There's a subway line passing under the park;  _Marshal_  Prower, his teammates -except Procion- and Hope Kintobor are in a subway station, disguised as Maintenance workers with overalls. When the subway has just left the station, the nine mobians and the Overlander girl take the opportunity to go down to the railway without attracting the attention of subway users, and they move away from the station. Once they're far enough away so that people in the station don't see them, they pass through a door supposedly reserved for Maintenance workers; once they're inside a brick-covered hallway, a scanner -hidden in the wall in front of them- "reads" the DNA and physical complexion of each, and when it's confirmed they're actually Amadeus, his team and Hope, the bricks of a portion of the wall move just like in the first  _Harry Potter_  movie, until a thick metal door similar to that of a vault is revealed. The door opens before the ten of them, and when they've all passed, the door closes, the bricks return to their place and everything seems normal again.

 _Fairfax_  has several underground floors, and these floors extend even below the park and other nearby buildings, connecting to subway lines and the sewers. Now, the team is in one of those underground floors and walks to an elevator, which then takes them to the lowest underground floor of all: a Command Room, created to lead the troops from a safe position during a war. Amanda Tower, daughter of Commander Abraham Tower and Chief of Staff of the Air Force, is already there.

"Did you have a hard time finding the access door?"

"No, not at all." Amadeus replies while he and the rest of his team remove the uniforms of the subway's Maintenance staff.

Now it can be seen they wear the outfits they usually wear in missions. In Fiona's case, she carries her weapons but not her cloak; the only weapon carried by Antoine is his diamond knife, he doesn't bring his bow and arrows with him, and neither he nor Amadeus carries their sabres; the others still carry those rather small weapons, such as knives and Julie-Su's proton gun. On the other hand, the outfit worn by Hope is the blue overalls she often uses when working with machines, a light red sweater, a trouser covered by the overalls, and rubber boots.

"Has Leonidas arrived yet?" Antoine asks although he's able to guess the answer.

"Yes, Lieutenant Procion returned from the Restricted Area half an hour ago."

"And he brought that mysterious agent with him, I guess." Fiona says.

"So is. Procion is with Agent  _Whisper_  right now. She made a small tour of this room and the rest of the building, but she preferred to remain isolated most of the time. In fact, she and Procion stayed inside an empty Meeting Room for the last fifteen minutes."

"Does that agent actually have so many difficulties for relating with others?" Armand asks.

"Anything is possible." Julie-Su answers. "With what Robotnik and the other villains did to people all over the planet..."

"I've known her when we developed the  _Wispons_." Hope comments. "The only times we talked was about weapons and  _Wisps_. If it hadn't been 'cause we worked together on something that interested us both, she'd never have spoken to me. She has a problem and has a hard time dealing with it, no doubt."

Meanwhile, Procion stands outside the Command Room, next to the entrance, and he eavesdrops on them.

"In that case, I dunno what Leonidas could achieve by staying locked up with  _Whisper_  for so long." Nic says.

"Unless he's making her feel better." Rouge says. "If you know what I mean..."

Upon hearing the she-bat saying this with her characteristic suggestive tone, Fiona, Antoine and Amadeus look at each other... and they start to laugh and deny what Rouge said.

"Impossible!"

"He'd never do such a thing."

"You have a big imagination..."

Leonidas, hidden, laughs silently at them too.

"What?" Rouge is confused, really confused. "Is he one of those guys who think they're the purest in the world?"

"Of course not." Fiona answers. "Simply she ain't his type."

" _En fait_..." Antoine says. " _Il_  has always worked for  _the other side_."

"Oh..." Rouge seems surprised, but actually, she's also a bit disappointed. "I get it now."

At that precise moment, the raccoon reveals his presence and surprises everyone by entering the Command Room and walking towards them.

" _Tony_ , your description of my sexual orientation is too simplistic. I thought you'd be better than that."

Upon hearing this, Rouge is about to make her seductive pose, as characteristic as her suggestive tone.

"Don't have illusions, Rouge."

The bat woman is astonished by the reaction of the raccoon, who immediately addresses the others with total naturalness.

"As I've explained to you, she has problems for relating to others, due to the war traumas, and these problems are much more than mere shyness. However, I've convinced her to help us."

"And how did you convince her?" Lightning asks guessing what happened in that Meeting Room.

"Exchanging with her what any happy couple would have to exchange from time to time, of course." Procion answers smiling triumphantly.

"But what does motivation have to do with that?" Julie-Su asks.

"You already know what that bearded man who invented psychoanalysis said: "Everything has to do with coitus". But enough talk! Without further ado..."

He quickly stands next to the entrance.

"I introduce you the Guardian Angel of the Resistance! The only one! The unmistakable one! I introduce you..." He moves his hands grandiloquently.  **" _WHISPER_!"**

Upon hearing the "announcement" from her boyfriend,  _Whisper_  appears there, unsure and walking slowly towards the team. In addition to the outfit she wore in the Restricted Area, she's wearing a dark grey cloak and a mask. The cloke has a pocket on each side, just below the shoulders, and has no hood; inside it, there are three capsules on each side, each of which is designed to contain and transport one  _Wisp_. The mask, vaguely similar to those used in the  _kabuki_  theatre, has a more or less triangular shape imitating the shape of a canid's face, is mostly greyish white, and is dark grey in a thick band on the left edge; where would be the right eye of  _Whisper_ , the mask covers the eye and has three black dots, and where her left eye, it has a kind of lens with built-in technology, which helps point when she shoots as a sniper.

She stands on one side of a large table in the centre of the Command Room, while Amadeus' team is on the other side; then, she slowly moves the mask to the right, revealing her face, and she whispers "Hi".

"It's nice to meet you, Agent." Amadeus says while extending a hand towards  _Whisper_. The she-wolf cautiously extends her own hand and shakes it with his hand briefly, then she removes her hand almost immediately.

"So... What do you need?"

"First, your knowledge." Armand says. "To detect the  _Dark Arms_  from their similarity with the  _Wisps_ , to be able to fight them properly, and to know how to take advantage of the  _Wisps_  if any of them wishes to fight on our side. And if you wish, you can collaborate in the missions, too."

"I dunno if my knowledge will be of any use when we look for the location of the  _Dark Arms_."  _Whisper_  answers. "On the other hand, I'm sure I'll be able to help you when they're finally found and we carry out a mission to neutralize them."

Hope remains silent for a few seconds as she thinks, and then she turns to Amanda Tower.

"How about we scan the  _Wisps_ ' genetic code, and then we scan the whole planet for matches?"

"Can you even do such a thing? And even if you could, do we have the resources for it?" Lightning asks.

"GUN is one of those organizations that can get everything you need for anything you wanna do, in a matter of minutes." Nic answers him. "Ain't that true,  _Miss_  Tower?"

"That's a lie: we can get everything in just one minute." Amanda replies with her pride a little hurt.

"Even so, it wouldn't be enough."  _Whisper_  admits. "There are still many  _Wisps_  scattered all over the world. Besides, only half of the genetic code of the  _Dark Arms_  would be similar to that of the  _Wisps_."

"I can give a sample of my DNA." Shadow intervenes. "Half of it is  _Black Arm_  DNA, and if we gather the information from my DNA with the  _Wisp_ genome, we will have a better chance of finding something."

Shadow looks directly at  _Whisper_ , who in turn looks at him out of the corner of her eye. She remains silent for a while, as does the "Ultimate Lifeform" and the others present.

"Then let's do it." The she-wolf replies.

* * *

With a phone call from Amanda to Commander Tower and a few phone calls from the latter to some contacts, GUN actually took only a minute to have at its disposal dozens of satellites and hundreds of devices for scientific research.  _Whisper_  brought one  _Wisp_  of each known race and, seeking the consent of these creatures, took samples of all kinds; for his part, Shadow allowed a sample of his blood to be drawn and analyzed. Next, Hope and  _Whisper_  began to work with the computers of the place, the  _Wisps_ ' and Shadow's genetic information, and the satellites and other instruments available; finally, they created a computer program to scan Mobius and search for matches between the detected and the genetic information collected.

It's been fifteen minutes since  _Whisper_  and Hope had started working. The "Guardian Angel" and the Overlander girl are sitting next to the table in a Meeting Room, drinking chocolate milk. Then, Fiona appears there.

"I thought you'd be working with the software to look for the  _Dark Arms_."

"We already did." Hope answers speaking as if she had just finished a homework extremely easy to her. "The system has detected several  _Wisps_ scattered throughout the world, including those under the care of  _Whisper_ , which are a significant portion of them and are concentrated in the vicinity of her home."

"On the other hand..."  _Whisper_  adds, speaking at a rather low volume. "Only one being with  _Black Arm_  DNA was detected, and that was Shadow himself. His signal is rather weak since only half of his DNA is  _Black Arm_. This doesn't surprise me: surely, this 'Eclipse' and the  _Dark Arms_  are very well hidden."

"When  _Black Arm_  signals other than Shadow's signal are detected, we will know there's something there. If the signals of those  _Black Arm_  overlap with  _Wisp_  signals, surely it'll be those hybrids, and if there's a  _Black Arm_  signal different from Shadow and that one doesn't overlap with a  _Wisp_ signal, then that will be Eclipse."

"Very well..." Fiona says as she walks back towards the door. "Tell us about any news, okay?"

The other two women nod, and the red vixen goes down a corridor. Bored, she wanders through the underground floors of  _Fairfax_. Suddenly, she stands still in front of the door of a workshop.

Inside that workshop, a young mechanic is showing a female agent of GUN something related to the machines. Apparently, the man is quite excited about his work and smiles with the hope that the woman shares that same enthusiasm. When observing this scene, Fiona can't avoid to remember moments of the time in which she was a Freedom Fighter and she hadn't yet committed treason: Tails used to show her what he did in his workshop, and for Fiona it was pretty obvious the two-tailed fox was hopelessly in love and tried to relate to her. Immediately after, Fiona remembers other things...

The face of Tails begging her not to betray them (or rather, not to betray  _him_ ), and the slap with which Fiona had responded to his pleas...

The few but terribly humiliating and painful "demonstrations of love" from Scourge...

Her return to Knothole, and the two subsequent months in which she and Tails were friends...

The beginning of the courtship between the two foxes...

The battles they fought together...

The many times they worked together on things related to Science and Technology...

How happy the two of them were every day, despite everything...

The frequent, long and amazing days, both day and night, in which they passionately demonstrated their mutual love at the most intimate level possible...

The vixen isn't realizing Rouge is walking towards her.

"Fiona, we found something-" The she-bat speaks to the vixen, but the latter looks distracted. "Fiona?"

"What? Oh, yeah, of course... I'm coming."

The former jewel thief takes a look inside the workshop, and she realizes what's going on in Fiona's head. Even so, she asks: "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing important. Just remembering things from the past."

"Do you wanna talk about it?" This time, Rouge does not sound at all seductive, but sincerely concerned. In fact, Fiona feels as if Rouge's voice invites her to tell what's happening.

("She's really good at this...) The vixen thinks. ("Duh, obviously she's good at this. Manipulating people is part of her job, after all.")

"I know you think I'm manipulating you, Fiona." Rouge says. "I dunno if you remember, but I agreed to be your girlfriend a few days ago, and I certainly wouldn't gain anything by using you or urging you to stay away from Tails. Considering all this, do you actually think I wouldn't have even an iota of concern for you?"

Fiona opens her mouth in an attempt to give an answer, only to later close her mouth in defeat.

"You're hiding something, Fiona. You're hiding the true reason why you broke up with Tails. And keeping doing that is consuming you inside."

"I already said it before, and I'll say it again: I no longer felt good in my relationship with him."

"Of course you didn't feel good in your relationship. You wouldn't have broken up with him otherwise. But why didn't you feel good? What exactly didn't make you feel good?"

Fiona doesn't respond but tries to close herself even more.

"Tails never treated you badly. After knowing him, you hadn't met anyone else that you might like. No one pressured you to be with him; on the contrary, at first, there was pressure for you two not to be together even as friends. And he was always willing to give his very life for you-"

"That's the problem". The red vixen whispers.

Rouge has heard her perfectly, but that whisper isn't enough for the bat woman.

"Excuse me?"

*sigh* The vixen sighs and prepares to answer, but she's interrupted by someone speaking through a loudspeaker.

_"Eclipse and his army have been found. All the personnel involved in missions against the Finitevic Army: please appear urgently in the Command Room."_

"We'll talk about this later, okay?" Rouge says to her. She starts walking towards the Command Room, while Fiona watches her.

* * *

"Eclipse and the  _Dark Arms_  were detected on Central North Yurashia. More precisely, they're on the banks of the Tyva River in the Golden Massif, near a short mountain range."

Hope is explaining her and  _Whisper_ 's findings while showing a map of the Far East of Yurashia on a screen.

"It's quite cold all year round over there, and in this season, the water is frozen and it snows a lot. The  _Dark Arms_  hide in the facilities of the port of a ghost town in this area."

Whisper takes the floor. "We've detected the signals of about two hundred hybrids. We've incorporated the genetic information of each race of  _Wisp_ , we've compared it with the detected signals, and we discovered the existing  _Dark Arms_  were created from four  _Wisp_  races: cyan, crimson, magenta and blue."

"Spy aircrafts have been sent to that area." Amanda Tower reports. "This hideout also concentrates a large part of the Finitevic Army, most of them being interdimensional beings qualified as dangerous by the Zone Cops Corps."

"So..." Julie-Su says. "This is all we have to do: go there, neutralize the bulk of the Finitevic Army and Eclipse, capture Finitevus alive or dead, and eliminate the  _Dark Arms_. We will erase any evidence of the existence of these hybrids and their creator, and the Finitevics in the rest of Mobius will no longer be able to fight reduced to a few soldiers without a leader."

"We will need new and better weapons." Antoine points. "The Variable  _Wispons_  of  _Mademoiselle_   _Whisper_  could be very useful for us."

"I'll try to explain to you, briefly, how to use this weapon and the  _Hyper-Go-On_  of the  _Wisps_."  _Whisper_  says.

"Alright." Amadeus answers. "Prepare and go find what you need for that 'lesson', and call us when you have everything ready."

* * *

Two hours later...

[ **Soundtrack:**   _Main Menu_  –  **Metal Slug Advance OST** ]

Amadeus' team, Hope and  _Whisper_  are gathered in the Restricted Area that is the home of the latter and of the  _Wisps_  under her care. To be more precise, they're in a glade ideal for practice with weapons.

"I guess you already know the Variable  _Wispon_."  _Whisper_  says as she shows them her gun, without any  _Wisp_  inside.

"At this time, since this weapon doesn't have any  _Wisp_ , the miniature quantum reactors will provide power to fire laser ammo." Hope says. "But if we introduce, for example, a cyan  _Wisp_..."

 _Whisper_  separates the two hollow hemispherical pieces of her  _Wispon_ , a cyan  _Wisp_  enters the available space, and the sphere closes again.

"Things get much better." The Overlander girl says.

The she-wolf covers her face with her mask, and the lens in her left eye glows cyan, as do some parts of the  _Wispon_. She points with her gun, makes a powerful laser shot of the same colour, and this laser beam makes a zigzag path between the trees until it hits accurately in a bulls-eye. Everyone is amazed by this display of the power of a  _Wispon_  with  _Hyper-Go-On_  of a  _Wisp_.

"I have replicas of this special lens, which create a link with the  _Wispon_  and the  _Wisp_  inside it. And there are a lot of  _Wisp_  races, each with unique powers."

During the rest of the afternoon, the team does tests with  _Wispons_ , while  _Whisper_  and Hope explain what they can do with each race of  _Wisp_.

"When you shoot the laser with  _Hyper-Go-On_  from a cyan  _Wisp_ , you can shoot a continuous beam by keeping the trigger pulled."  _Whisper_  says. "It's preferable to shoot not too far away and without the laser changing direction. If you make the laser change trajectory, and especially if you make that change abrupt, or if you try to shoot at a very large distance, the shot will consume more  _Hyper-Go-On_ , although not much more than a shot at close range and in a straight line."

"With the yellow  _Wisp_ , the  _Wispon_  takes the shape of a drill." Hope says, showing what happens when a creature of that race is introduced into the weapon. "It allows you to accelerate and destroy everything you find in your path, dig and move underground, and travel through the water like a torpedo. I don't advise using the drill in a hand-to-hand fight against a single enemy since this weapon would be too big, rough and difficult to use in this case. On the other hand, what uses more  _Hyper-Go-On_  is the use of the drill to dig and move underground. In any case, if absolutely necessary, all available energy can be used to fire the drill as a means of attacking from a distance."

"With the blue  _Wisp_ , the weapon takes the form of a mace. In addition to using this kind of "hammerhead" as a weapon for hand-to-hand combat, you can also aim the  _Wispon_ 's barrel as if it were a handgun to create a platform where you wish. However, a platform's creation consumes a large part of the  _Hyper-Go-On_  donated by the  _Wisp_ , and It's easy to deduce that the bigger the platform and the longer you wanna keep it where it is, the more energy it'll spend."

"The green  _Wisp_  serves to transport you and protect you more than to attack: it creates something similar to a circular medieval shield, which you can use to float in the air, to navigate in water or to repel attacks. The form that consumes less  _Hyper-Go-On_  is as a means to fly, while the shield form is what more energy spends, especially when the attacks received by the shield are very powerful."

"With the pink  _Wisp_ , the  _Wispon_  becomes a circular saw. It doesn't generate damage as large as a drill, but it's more reliable for hand-to-hand combat. You can also attack from a distance by firing the saw."

"The orange  _Wisp_  turns the weapon into a sort of rocket launcher. Of course, it's ideal for attacking from a distance."

"The red  _Wisp_  turns the  _Wispon_  into a flamethrower. It's better to use it to attack at a medium distance since the flames lose effectiveness as they move away. You can also create explosions that will propel you to where you want with an effect similar to the recoil of a firearm, but this consumes more energy."

"The magenta  _Wisp_  allows sound-based attacks, either to stun and disorient the enemy, to vibrate their molecules at a specific frequency until they disintegrate, or to create a shock wave. The latter is what consumes more energy."

"With the ivory  _Wisp_ , you can make electricity-based attacks. It can also make you move faster or float, by using static electricity."

"The black  _Wisp_  turns the  _Wispon_  into a sort of grenade launcher."

"And finally..."  _Whisper_  speaks with a more serious tone than before. "The mere use of  _Wisps_  in war should be only in exceptional cases. After all, we're talking about using the energy of the body of a living being, even if the creature donates its energy voluntarily and its life ain't in danger when lending that energy. However, there's something that should never be done and obviously, I'll not show you: the use of a  _Nega-Wisp_."

"That's a  _Wisp_  who was forced to give the whole  _Hyper-Go-On_  of its body, right?" Lightning asks.

"That's right. The mere creation of a  _Nega-Wisp_  would be equivalent to a crime against humanity. Besides, its use is enormously dangerous. I think Lieutenant Procion has already told you what a  _Nega-Wisp_  does."

"Sale en busca de energía, para restaurar la suya propia." Armand answers.

"And what would be the best source of energy?" She asks, already knowing the answer.

"Matter." Fiona answers.

"Matter?" Nic asks.

"In essence, matter is very, very concentrated energy. The ancient human civilization relied on this to develop the first weapons of mass destruction, and one of their first creations was a bomb capable of reducing a medium city to rubble and requiring only a small amount of uranium as an explosive."

"Therefore, a  _Nega-Wisp_  would look for matter of any kind to 'feed', in addition to absorbing energy." Amadeus tries to imagine what would happen. "And a  _Nega-Wisp_  looking for matter and energy so avidly... would be like a living black hole."

"Another reason why we have to stop Eclipse as soon as possible." Antoine says. "If he discovers the power of a  _Nega-Wisp_..."

"We will prepare right now for the mission in the Golden Massif." Amadeus says. "And we will travel there tonight."

Everyone walks out of the glade to leave the Restricted Area and return to  _Fairfax_.  _Whisper_  stays where she was, and Procion turns to her.

"Are you coming?"

"Oh, of course..." The she-wolf walks quickly towards them to accompany them.


End file.
